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Updated: Jul 14, 2025

Anticancer Metal Complexes: Synthesis and Cytotoxicity Evaluation by the MTT Assay
Published on: November 10, 2013
Configurationally regulated half-sandwich iridium(III)-ferrocene heteronuclear metal complexes: Potential anticancer
Xicheng Liu1, Zihan Wang1, Xinru Zhang1
1Key Laboratory of Life-Organic Analysis of Shandong Province, Institute of Anticancer Agents Development and Theranostic Application, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Qufu Normal University, Qufu 273165, China.
Abstract:
Half-sandwich iridium(III) (IrIII) complexes and ferrocenyl (Fc) derivatives are becoming the research hotspot in the field of anticancer because of their good bioactivity and unique anticancer mechanism different from platinum-based drugs. Then, a series of half-sandwich IrIII-Fc pyridine complexes have been prepared through the structural regulation in this study. The incorporation of half-sandwich IrIII complex with Fc unit successfully improves their anticancer activity, and the optimal performance (IrFc5) is almost 3-fold higher than that of cisplatin against A549 cells, meanwhile, which also shows better anti-proliferative activity against A549/DDP cells. Complexes can aggregate in the intracellular lysosome of A549 cells and induce lysosomal damage, disrupt the cell cycle, increase the level of intracellular reactive oxygen species, and eventually lead to cell apoptosis. Half-sandwich IrIII-Fc heteronuclear metal complexes possess a different anticancer mechanism from cisplatin, which can serve as a potential alternative to platinum-based drugs and show a good application prospect.
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