This work is focused on investigating the interaction of antitumor active metallocene vanadocene dichloride (Cp2VCl2) and amino acids in aqueous solution at physiological pH. Sixteen vanadocene amino acid complexes [Cp2V(aa)][X] (aa = gly, ala, val, leu, ile, phe, his, and trp; X = Cl, PF6) were prepared and characterized on the basis of spectral measurements (EPR, MS, IR, Raman). Amino acids are coordinated to the vanadocene fragment through the oxygen atom of the carboxylic group and the nitrogen of the amino group, resulting in a five-membered chelate ring. Complexes [Cp2V(val)][PF6] and [Cp2V(ile)][PF6] have been characterized by X-ray structure analyses. It was evidenced that all prepared complexes are stable in both aqueous solutions with physiological pH and in therapeutic NaCl solutions. EPR spectra of vanadocene amino acid complexes in Krebs-Ringer solution in human blood plasma and in whole blood showed that these complexes react with the hydrogen carbonate anion present forming complex Cp2V(O2CO).

The first bioinorganic vanadocene(IV) complexes of α-amino acids ([Cp2V(aa)]Cl, Cp = η5-C5H5, aa = glycine, L-alanine, L-valine) were prepared by reaction of vanadocene dichloride ([Cp2VCl2]) and α-amino acids in aqueous methanol. Analogous cationic complexes with PF6- counterions were obtained by metathetical reactions of the chloride precursors with KPF6. These compounds are of great interest as model systems for the vanadocene moiety binding to proteins. All complexes have been characterized by elemental analyses and IR, Raman and EPR spectroscopies. On the basis of EPR spectra, a chelate in all the studied complexes was proposed, formed by the carboxylato and amino groups. This structure has also been confirmed by density functional theory (DFT) calculations.

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