Forty years after the discovery of the anticancer effects of cisplatin, scientists are still pursuing the development of platinum complexes with improved properties regarding side effects and resistance, which are two main problems in cisplatin treatment. Among these compounds, trans-configured platinum complexes with oxime ligands emerged as a new class with features distinct from those of established anticancer agents, including different DNA binding behavior, increased cellular accumulation, and a different pattern of protein interaction. We report herein on the reactivity with biomolecules of three novel pairs of cis- and trans-configured acetone oxime platinum(II) complexes and one pair of 3-pentanone oxime platinum(II) complexes. Cellular accumulation experiments and in vitro DNA platination studies were performed and platinum contents were determined by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. The trans-configured complexes were accumulated in SW480 cells in up to 100 times higher amounts than cisplatin and up to 50 times higher amounts than their cis-configured counterparts; r (b) values (number of platinum atoms per nucleotide) were more than tenfold increased in cells treated with trans complexes compared with cells treated with cisplatin. The interaction of the complexes with DNA was studied in cell-free experiments with plasmid DNA (pUC19), in capillary zone electrophoresis with the DNA model 2-deoxyguanosine 5'-monophosphate, and in in vitro experiments showing the degree of DNA damage in the comet assay. Whereas incubation with cis compounds did not induce degradation of DNA, the trans complexes led to pronounced strand cleavage.

The (benzophenone imine)platinum(II) compounds trans-[PtCl2(Ph2C=NH)(RR'SO)] [R, R'=Me, Me (2); n-Pr, n-Pr (3); (CH2)4 (4); Me, Ph (5); Me, p-MeC6H4 (6)] were prepared by the reaction of Ph2C=NH with K[PtCl3(RR'SO)], obtained in situ from K2[PtCl4] and the corresponding sulfoxide, giving 2-6 as well as cis-[PtCl2(Ph2C=NH)2] (1) as a minor product. The complexes were characterized by 1H, 13C, and 195Pt NMR and IR spectroscopy, electrospray ionization mass spectrometry, and C, H, and N elemental analysis. The X-ray crystallography of 1 enables confirmation of the cis configuration of the complex, while in 2 and 4.1/2CHCl3, the imine and sulfoxide ligands are mutually trans. The solid-state structure of 4.1/2CHCl3 consists of two dimeric Pt moieties representing a rather weak Pt...Pt interaction. The dimeric architecture of 4.1/2CHCl3 is enhanced by the hydrogen bonding between imine H atoms and O atoms. The orthometalation of 1 and 2-6 proceeds both in the solid phase and in a toluene suspension, leading to the formation of [PtCl{Ph(C6H4)C=NH}(Ph2C=NH)] (7) and [PtCl{Ph(C6H4)C=NH}(RR'SO)] (8-12), respectively, isolated in nearly quantitative yields. Complexes 8-12 are emissive at room temperature both in solution (lambdaemmax approximately 535 nm) and in the solid state (lambdaemmax 560-610 nm), with excited-state lifetimes of ca. 300-600 ns, representing a new family of PtII-based luminescent complexes. Compounds 8 and 10 have been characterized by X-ray analysis, confirming the square-planar coordination geometry of the metal center with the almost planar platinacycles. In 8, the asymmetric unit contains two independent Pt molecules, while in 10, it includes four Pt molecules linked by the intermolecular hydrogen-bonding network between the NH group and Cl atoms.

Novel cis- and trans-configured bis(oxime)platinum(II) complexes have been synthesized and characterized by elemental analyses, IR, electrospray ionization mass spectrometry, multinuclear ((1)H, (13)C, and (195)Pt) NMR spectroscopy, and, in five cases, by X-ray diffraction. Their cytotoxicity was studied in the cisplatin-sensitive CH1 cell line as well as in inherently cisplatin-resistant SW480 cancer cells. Remarkably, every single dihalidobis(oxime)platinum(II) complex (with either a cis or trans configuration) shows a comparable cytotoxic potency in both cell lines, indicating a capacity of overcoming cisplatin resistance. Particularly strong cytotoxicities were observed in the case of trans-[PtCl(2)(R(2)C=NOH)(2)] (R = Me, n-Pr, i-Pr) with IC(50) values in the high nanomolar concentration range in both CH1 and SW480 cancer cells. These complexes are as potent as cisplatin in CH1 cells and up to 20 times more potent than cisplatin in SW480 cells. In comparison to transplatin, the novel compounds are up to 90 (CH1) and 120 times (SW480) more cytotoxic. The previously reported observation that the trans geometry yields a more active complex in the case of [PtCl(2)(Me(2)C=NOH)(2)] could be confirmed for at least two structural analogues.

The reaction of 1,3-dihydroxyacetone oxime with diam(m)minediaquaplatinum(II) under basic conditions produced zwitterionic diam(m)mine(3-hydroxy-2-(oxidoimino)propan-1-olato-κ(2)N,O)platinum(II) complexes featuring the N,O-chelating ligand. Upon reaction with hydrochloric acid, it was possible to isolate either the singly protonated species still exhibiting the intact N,O-chelate or the open-chain chlorido complex. All complexes were characterized in detail with multinuclear ((1)H, (13)C, and (195)Pt) NMR spectroscopy, ESI mass spectrometry, and in one case X-ray diffraction. Cytotoxicity was investigated in three human cancer cell lines (CH1, SW480, and A549). The obtained IC(50) values are in the medium or even low micromolar range, remarkable for platinum complexes having N(3)O or N(3)Cl coordination spheres. To study the solution behavior of the prepared complexes at physiologically relevant proton concentrations, time-dependent (1)H NMR measurements were performed for the ethane-1,2-diamine-containing series at pH values of 7.4, 6.0, and exemplarily 5.0. While the zwitterionic complex proved to be stable at both pH 7.4 and 6.0, the protonated species were deprotonated at pH 7.4, tending toward ring opening in slightly acidic environments, as characteristic for many solid tumors. Finally, the open-chain form stayed intact at pH 6.0, being completely converted into its chelated analogue at pH 7.4. A pH-dependent evaluation of antiproliferative effects of the two latter complexes at pH 7.4 and pH 6.0 revealed an activation under slightly acidic conditions, which might be of interest for further in vivo studies.