From studies using different experimental techniques employed to determine the presence of aggregates e.g. isothermal titration calorimetry, surface tension, electrical conductivity, UV-Vis spectrophotometry, dynamic and static light scattering, it is clearly demonstrated that the compound [Cu(4, 4'-dimethyl-2, 2'-bipyridine)(acetylacetonato)H2O]NO3 (Casiopeína III-ia), promising member of a family of new generation compounds for cancer treatment, is able to auto associate in aqueous media. Physicochemical properties associated with the formation of the aggregates were determined in pure water and in phosphate buffer media in order to simulate physiological conditions. From isothermal titration calorimetry and electrical conductivity measurements we calculated the dissociation constant of the aggregates, KD . For pure water the values obtained in both techniques are 2.73 × 10-4 and 5.93 × 10-4 M respectively while for the buffer media we obtained 4.61 × 10-4 and 1.57 × 10-3 M. The enthalpy of dissociation, ∆HD , calculated from the calorimetric data shows that the presence of the phosphate ions has an energetic effect on the aggregate stability since in pure water a value of 18.79 kJ mol-1 was obtained in comparison with the buffer media where a value 4 times bigger was found (70.48 kJ mol-1). With the data collected from these techniques the number of monomers calculated which participate in the formation of the aggregates is around two. From our surface tension, electrical conductivity and UV-Vis spectrophotometry measurements the critical aggregate concentration, cac, was determined. For each technique specific concentration ranges were obtained but we can summarize that the cac in pure water is between 3 and 3.5 mM and for the buffer media is between 3.5 and 4 mM. Dynamic light scattering measurements provide us with the hydrodynamic diameter of the aggregates and from static light scattering measurements we determined the molecular weight of the Casiopeína III-ia aggregates to be of 1000.015 g mol-1 which is two times the molecular weight of the Casiopeína III-ia molecule. This value is in agreement with the number of monomers which participate in the formation of the aggregates obtained from isothermal titration calorimetry and electrical conductivity data analysis.
Keywords: Casiopeína; Critical aggregate concentration; Dynamic light scattering; Isothermal titration calorimetry; Surface tension.