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Two new neutral ruthenium(II) complexes [Ru(η 6-p-cymene) Cl 2 (1)] (3) and [Ru(η 6-p-cymene)Cl 2 (2)] (4) (1 = 5-(phenylamino)-3-pyrrolidin-1-ylisothiazole-4-carbonitrile; 2 = 3-morpholin-4-yl-5-(phenylamino)isothiazole-4-carbonitrile) have been synthesized and characterized using elemental analysis, IR, UV-Vis and NMR spectroscopy. The crystal structure was confirmed for complex 3 and both ligands. Examination of the interactions of ligands and complexes with CT-DNA (Calf Thymus DNA), as well as with HSA (Human Serum Albumin) revealed that ligands and complexes could interact with CT-DNA through intercala-tion and could bind strongly with HSA. Docking experiments toward DNA dodecamer indicate excellent accordance with experimental ΔG values. The cytotoxic activity of ligands and complexes was evaluated by MTT assay against HCT116 and HeLa tumoral cells. The complexes 3 and 4 showed good activity and selectivity on HCT116 cells. Neither of the tested compounds shows cytotoxic activity against a healthy MRC-5 cell line. Flow cytometry analysis showed the apoptotic death of the HCT116 cells with a cell cycle arrest in the S-phase.

In the presented study, eight novel Meldrum’s acid derivatives containing various vanillic groups were synthesized. Vanillidene Meldrum’s acid compounds were tested against different cancer cell lines and microbes. Out of nine, three showed very good biological activity against E. coli, and HeLa and A549 cell lines. It is shown that the O-alkyl substituted derivatives possessed better antimicrobial and anticancer activities in comparison with the O-acyl ones. The decyl substituted molecule (3i) has the highest activity against E. coli (MIC = 12.4 μM) and cancer cell lines (HeLa, A549, and LS174 = 15.7, 21.8, and 30.5 μM, respectively). The selectivity index of 3i is 4.8 (HeLa). The molecular docking study indicates that compound 3i showed good binding affinity to DNA, E. coli Gyrase B, and topoisomerase II beta. The covalent docking showed that 3i was a Michael acceptor for the nucleophiles Lys and Ser. The best Eb was noted for the topoisomerase II beta-LYS482-3i cluster.

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