Synthesis and Anticancer Activity of Long-Chain Isonicotinic Ester Ligand-Containing Arene Ruthenium Complexes and Nanoparticles

Süss-Fink, Georg ; Khan, Farooq-Ahmad ; Juillerat-Jeanneret, Lucienne ; Dyson, Paul ; Renfrew, Anna

In: Journal of Cluster Science, 2010, vol. 21, no. 3, p. 313-324

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    Summary
    Arene ruthenium complexes containing long-chain N-ligands L1=NC5H4-4-COO-C6H4-4-O-(CH2)9-CH3 or L2=NC5H4-4-COO-(CH2)10-O-C6H4-4-COO-C6H4-4-C6H4-4-CN derived from isonicotinic acid, of the type [(arene)Ru(L)Cl2] (arene=C6H6, L=L1: 1; arene=p-MeC6H4Pri, L=L1: 2; arene=C6Me6, L=L1: 3; arene=C6H6, L=L2: 4; arene=p-MeC6H4Pri, L=L2: 5; arene=C6Me6, L=L2: 6) have been synthesized from the corresponding [(arene)RuCl2]2 precursor with the long-chain N-ligand L in dichloromethane. Ruthenium nanoparticles stabilized by L1 have been prepared by the solvent-free reduction of 1 with hydrogen or by reducing [(arene)Ru(H2O)3]SO4 in ethanol in the presence of L1 with hydrogen. These complexes and nanoparticles show a high anticancer activity towards human ovarian cell lines, the highest cytotoxicity being obtained for complex 2 (IC50=2μM for A2780 and 7μM for A2780cisR)