Anticancer activities and mechanism of action of 2 novel metal complexes, C16H34N8O5Ag2Cd and C11H16N7O2Ag3Ni

Abstract

The discovery of anticancer activity in cisplatin triggered the development of novel drugs containing metals such as platinum or ruthenium. Extremely diverse structural chemistry and the interaction of metal complexes with biomolecules resulted in the exploration of novel metal complexes with drug potential. In the present study, the anticancer and cytotoxic activities and the mechanisms of action were investigated for C16H34N8O5Ag2Cd (AN1) and C11H16N7O2Ag3Ni (AN7), 2 newly synthesized dicyanidoargentate(I) complexes. The anticancer and cytotoxic activities of AN1 and AN7 on several cancer cell lines were tested by cell proliferation and cytotoxic activity assays, respectively. The apoptotic and replication inhibitory potentials of the compounds were investigated using terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick and labeling (TUNEL) and DNA topoisomerase inhibition assays. AN1 and AN7 showed significant (P < 0.05) anticancer activity and lower cytotoxicity against all cell lines tested. The TUNEL assay results indicated that AN1 and AN7 may inhibit cell proliferation by inducing apoptosis. The compounds showed very significant DNA topoisomerase I inhibitory activity. Based on the results, it is suggested that compounds AN1 and AN7 are potential anticancer drug candidates.