Anticancer Activity of Alkynylgold(I) with P(NMe2)3 Phosphane in Mouse Colon Tumors and Human Colon Carcinoma Caco-2 Cell Line

Inorg Chem. 2019 Nov 18;58(22):15536-15551. doi: 10.1021/acs.inorgchem.9b02528. Epub 2019 Nov 7.

Abstract

New alkynylgold(I) with P(NMe2)3 (HMPT) phosphane complexes, [Au(C≡C-R)(HMPT)] (R= 4-Ph, 4-MePh, 4-OMe, 4-Br, 4-Cl, 2-py, and 3-py) have been synthesized and characterized, including X-ray studies of complexes with R= 4-OMe and 4-Br; additionally, their physicochemical properties and anticancer activity have been tested. Due to the great water solubility of the HMPT phosphane, all the complexes exhibit an optimal balance of hydrophilicity/lipophilicity. Also, all of these complexes are quite stable in physiological conditions and interact well enough with the transport protein BSA. All complexes exhibit a higher anticancer activity against Caco-2 cells than cisplatin, and some of them do not present cytotoxic activity against enterocyte-like differentiated cells. The selective complexes are proapoptotic drugs by the exposure of phosphatidylserine, results that are also confirmed in primary cultures from mouse colon tumors. Complexes with a halogen unit also arrest the cell cycle in G2/M phase. It is thought that maybe these apoptosis processes are promoted by the observed oxidative damage in the membrane lipids, as a consequence of the inhibition of the thioredoxin reductase enzyme. Based on our results, we conclude that five of our complexes are good candidates to be used in chemotherapy.

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Antineoplastic Agents / chemistry*
  • Antineoplastic Agents / therapeutic use*
  • Apoptosis / drug effects
  • Caco-2 Cells
  • Colonic Neoplasms / drug therapy*
  • Crystallography, X-Ray
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Mice, Inbred ICR
  • Models, Molecular
  • Organogold Compounds / chemistry*
  • Organogold Compounds / therapeutic use*
  • Phosphines / chemistry
  • Phosphines / therapeutic use

Substances

  • Antineoplastic Agents
  • Organogold Compounds
  • Phosphines
  • phosphine