Biosourced Au(III) Complexes from D-Xylose: Synthesis and Biological Evaluation

Area of Science:

• Carbohydrate Chemistry
• Medicinal Inorganic Chemistry
• Biotechnology

Background:

• D-xylose derivatives offer a versatile scaffold for novel ligand design.
• Gold(III) complexes are explored for their therapeutic potential.
• Understanding structure-activity relationships is crucial for drug development.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize and characterize novel xylose-based ligands and their gold(III) complexes.
• To evaluate the in vitro antibacterial and anti-tumoral activities of these complexes.
• To investigate the role of sugar structure in biological activity and selectivity.

Main Methods:

• Convenient multi-step synthesis of xylose-based ligands from D-xylose.
• Complexation studies of ligands with Au3+ using multinuclear NMR, mass spectrometry, and elemental analysis.
• In vitro assessment of antibacterial activity against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria.
• In vitro evaluation of anti-proliferative and anti-migratory effects on breast cancer cell lines.

Main Results:

• Successfully synthesized and characterized several xylose-based ligands and their Au(III) complexes.
• Xyloside Au(III) complexes demonstrated significant antibacterial activity, particularly against E. coli.
• The selectivity of antibacterial action was influenced by the sugar moiety.
• One polyamine-containing complex exhibited notable anti-proliferative and anti-migratory effects on MDA-MB-231 and BT-20 breast cancer cells.

Conclusions:

• Xylose-based gold(III) complexes represent a promising class of compounds with dual antibacterial and anti-cancer potential.
• The structural features of the sugar ligand significantly impact the biological profile of the gold complexes.
• Further investigation into these complexes may lead to the development of novel therapeutic agents.