Effects of polar substituents on the biological activity of thiosemicarbazone metal complexes.

In this paper, citronellal, vanillin and pyridoxal thiosemicarbazones were modified with polar substituents, namely ethylmorpholine and glucose, to increase their polarity and compare the effects of these moieties on their biological activity. Altogether, nine ligands were synthesized and for each of them also their copper(II) and nickel(II) complexes were prepared and used for the biological tests. Eventually, assays on proliferation inhibition were conducted using leukemic cell line U937, already used as a model for previous citronellal thiosemicarbazone tests. Biological tests were also performed on solid tumor cell line HT29. From the first screenings, two of the metal complexes showed remarkable interesting properties, and, therefore, were also tested for histosensitivity.

Apo-neocarzinostatin: a protein carrier for Cu(II) glycocomplexes and Cu(II) into U937 and HT29 cell lines.

In the field of pharmaceuticals there is an increasing need for new delivery systems to overcome the issues of solubility, penetration, toxicity and drug resistance. One of the possible strategies is to use biocarriers such as proteins to encourage the cell-penetration of drugs. In this paper, the use of the apo-protein neocarzinostatin (apo-NCS) as a carrier-protein for two Cu(II) glycocomplexes, previously characterized, and Cu(II) ions was investigated. Its interaction with the metallic compounds was analyzed using microcalorimetry. The dissociation constants were shown to be in the micromolar range. The Cu(II) glycocomplexes, in absence of apo-NCS, were found to be cytotoxic in the U937 and HT29 cell lines whereas the corresponding glycoligands showed no toxicity. The leukemic cell line (U937) seems to be more sensitive to glycocomplexes than the colon cancer cell line (HT29). Interestingly, apo-NCS was shown to increase systematically the antiproliferative activity by a factor of 2 and 3 for Cu(II) glycocomplexes and Cu(II) respectively. The antiproliferative activity detected was not related to proteasome inhibition. This result stresses the importance of new molecular tools for the delivery of Cu(II) to tumor cells using non-covalent association with carriers proteins.

Ni(II) and Cu(II) N(4)-ethylmorpholine citronellalthiosemicarbazonate: a comparative analysis of cytotoxic effects in malignant human cancer cell lines.

In this paper we report a study conducted with two analogous complexes, bis(N(4)-ethylmorpholine citronellalthiosemicarbazonate) nickel(II) and -copper(II) on four tumour cell lines (U937, HL60, SK-N-MC and HT29). All cell lines appear to be sensitive to both metal complexes, but while in U937, HL60 and SK-N-MC, apoptosis is the main mode through which cell death occurs, HT29 cells undergo necrosis. Among the cell lines which undergo apoptosis, SK-N-MC response is characterized by the intrinsic pathway, whereas U937 and HL60 involve both the intrinsic and the extrinsic pathways. The redox activity of the two complexes provides experimental evidence that they can modulate reactive oxygen species (ROS) production as a function of both the metal and the cell line used. Among the four cell lines, HL60 does not seem to give a significant response to exposure to both compounds. In the case of the nickel derivative, ROS generation is a relatively early event, and ROS could be the mediator leading to cellular damage. HT29 shows a remarkable and rapid ROS increase and a significant induction of membrane peroxidation that could be correlated to the onset of necrosis.

Evaluation of DNA damage induced by 2 polybrominated diphenyl ether flame retardants (BDE-47 and BDE-209) in SK-N-MC cells.

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are a class of flame retardants whose levels have increased in the environment and in human tissues in the past decades. Exposure to PBDEs has been associated with developmental neurotoxicity, endocrine dysfunction, and reproductive disorders. In spite of their widespread distribution and potential adverse health effects, only few studies have addressed the potential neurotoxicity of PBDEs. In the present study, we evaluated the cyto- and genotoxicity of 2,2',4,4'-tetrabromodiphenyl ether (BDE-47) and decabrominated diphenyl ether (BDE-209) in human neuroblastoma cells (SK-N-MC). The DNA damage was measured using the alkaline version of the Comet assay, while specific oxidative-generated DNA damage was evaluated by a modified version of the Comet assay with the repair enzyme formamidopyrimidine glycosylase (FPG). The results show that BDE-47 and BDE-209 (5-20 µmol/L) are able to induce DNA damage in human SK-N-MC cells. Pretreatment with the antioxidant melatonin significantly reduced the DNA damage induced by both congeners. The Comet assay carried out in the presence of FPG suggests that both congeners increase purine oxidation. In all cases, BDE-47 was more potent than BDE-209. The results indicate that 2 environmentally relevant PBDEs cause DNA damage which is primarily mediated by the induction of oxidative stress and may contribute to adverse health effects.

Synthesis, structural characterization and antiproliferative and toxic bio-activities of copper(II) and nickel(II) citronellal N4-ethylmorpholine thiosemicarbazonates.

This paper reports the syntheses and characterization of ethylmorpholine substituted citronellal thiosemicarbazone copper(II) and nickel(II) metal complexes. The compounds were characterized through elemental analyses and spectroscopic (IR, UV-Vis, NMR, MS) methods. The X-ray analysis of the two complexes shows that both Ni and Cu derivatives present a square planar coordination, where the coordinating homologous donor atoms bind in trans to each other. The compounds were tested for their biological activity after determination of their octanol-saline partition coefficients, followed by their radical scavenging properties. Eventually the complexes were tested for their proliferation inhibition on human histiocytic lymphoma U937 cell line. The GI(50) values resulted to be 2.3microM for the copper derivative and 12.3microM for the nickel derivative.

Genotoxicity revaluation of three commercial nitroheterocyclic drugs: nifurtimox, benznidazole, and metronidazole.

Nitroheterocyclic compounds are widely used as therapeutic agents against a variety of protozoan and bacterial infections. However, the literature on these compounds, suspected of being carcinogens, is widely controversial. In this study, cytotoxic and genotoxic potential of three drugs, Nifurtimox (NFX), Benznidazole (BNZ), and Metronidazole (MTZ) was re-evaluated by different assays. Only NFX reduces survival rate in actively proliferating cells. The compounds are more active for base-pair substitution than frameshift induction in Salmonella; NFX and BNZ are more mutagenic than MTZ; they are widely dependent from nitroreduction whereas microsomal fraction S9 weakly affects the mutagenic potential. Comet assay detects BNZ- and NFX-induced DNA damage at doses in the range of therapeutically treated patient plasma concentration; BNZ seems to mainly act through ROS generation whereas a dose-dependent mechanism of DNA damaging is suggested for NFX. The lack of effects on mammalian cells for MTZ is confirmed also in MN assay whereas MN induction is observed for NFX and BNZ. The effects of MTZ, that shows comparatively low reduction potential, seem to be strictly dependent on anaerobic/hypoxic conditions. Both NFX and BNZ may not only lead to cellular damage of the infective agent but also interact with the DNA of mammalian cells.