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Updated: Aug 12, 2025

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Published on: November 10, 2013
Antitumor copper(II) complexes with hydroxyanthraquinones and N,N-heterocyclic ligands
Ívina P de Souza1, Ariane C C de Melo2, Bernardo L Rodrigues2
1Departamento de Química, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Avenida Antônio Carlos, 6627, 31270-901 Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil; Departamento de Química, Centro Federal de Educação Tecnológica de Minas Gerais, Avenida Amazonas, 5253, 30421-169 Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil.
Abstract:
Five ternary copper(II) complexes, [Cu2(phen)2(L1)(ClO4)2] (1), [Cu2(phen)2(L1)(DMSO)2](PF6)2 (2), [Cu2(bpy)2(L1)(ClO4)2(H2O)2] (3), [Cu2(dmp)2(L1)(ClO4)2(H2O)2] (4), and [Cu(phen)(L2)]2(ClO4)2 (5), in which phen = 1,10-phenanthroline, bpy = 2,2'-bipyridine, dmp = 2,9-dimethyl-1,10-phenanthroline, H2L1 = 1,4-dihydroxyanthracene-9,10-dione and HL2 = 1-hydroxyanthracene-9,10-dione, DMSO = dimethylsulfoxide, were synthesized and fully characterized. Complex 2 was obtained through the substitution of perchlorate for DMSO. When two hydroxyquinone groups are present, L1 makes a bridge between two Cu(II) ions, which also bind two nitrogens of the respective diimine ligand. The compounds bind to calf thymus DNA and oxidatively cleave pUC19 DNA according to the following order of activity 1 > 4-5 > 3. Furthermore, complexes 1, 3, 4 and 5 inhibit topoisomerase-I activity and the growth of myelogenous leukemia cells with the IC50 values of 1.13, 10.60, 0.078, and 1.84 μmol L-1, respectively. Complexes 1 and 4 are the most active in cancer cells and in DNA cleavage.
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