Comparative anti-proliferative activity of some new 2-(arylazo)phenolate–palladium (II) complexes and cisplatin against some human cancer cell lines

Abstract

In this study, we report the synthesis of four 2-(arylazo)phenol-Pd(II) complexes and their anti-proliferative property against the human lung cancer (A549), cervical cancer (HeLa), and ovarian teratocarcinoma (PA-1) cell lines with cisplatin as the gold standard. One of the complexes, [Pd(L(2))2], induced robust apoptosis in all the chosen cells, as revealed by annexin-V-positive/propidium iodide dual staining, increased sub-G1 cell cycle population, and significant morphological changes in the treated cells. The Pd complex inflicted mitochondrial dysfunction leading to mitochondrial membrane potential loss, reactive oxygen species generation and release of cytosolic cytochrome c that activated caspase-9 and caspase-3 proteins which finally caused programmed cell death.

Anti-tumour active gold(i), palladium(ii) and ruthenium(ii) complexes with thio- and selenoureato ligands: a comparative study

“…One mechanism involved in the induction of apoptosis is oxidative stress triggered by the formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) due to deregulated mitochondrial activity. It has been shown for a variety of gold, 50-52 ruthenium 31,32,[53][54][55] and palladium 56 complexes that their anti-tumour activity is mediated by an enhanced ROS production. Therefore, ROS levels were measured after a two-hour incubation of SUP-B15 cells with 10 µM of the respective compound.…”

Novel Insights into Mice Multi-Organ Metabolism upon Exposure to a Potential Anticancer Pd(II)-Agent

“…Pd(II) has been recognized as one of the best candidates due to its physical-chemical similarities to Pt(II) [8,14]. Indeed, several Pd(II) complexes have been tested in vitro for anti-tumor properties in breast [19][20][21][22][23], lung [24,25], colon [26][27][28], prostate [29][30][31], gastric [32], liver [33], and other human cancer cell lines [34][35][36][37]. In some cases, favorable antiproliferative and cytotoxic properties have been reported for Pd (II) agents [20,24,28], compared to Pt(II) analogs, along with antimetastatic properties (antiangiogenic and anti-migratory [22]), lower acquired resistance [36], and lesser toxicity towards non-neoplastic cells [20].…”

Metabolic Aspects of Palladium(II) Potential Anti-Cancer Drugs

“…Results showed that the extent of antioxidant defense is strongly dependent on the nature of the metal complex, Pd(diethyl-dithiocarbamate) 2 exhibiting favorable antioxidant characteristics, in tandem with good antitumor performance. A later systematic study of four Pd(II)[bis-2-(arylazo)phenolates] on human lung carcinoma (A549), cervical carcinoma (HeLa) and teratocarcinoma (PA-1) cell lines ( 26 ) helped to single out one of the complexes as the most effective in inducing apoptosis in all cell lines, while causing mitochondrial dysfunction affecting several enzymes and raising ROS levels ( Table 1 ).…”