Halogenated Gallium Corroles:DNA Interaction and Photodynamic Antitumor Activity

Inorg Chem. 2021 Feb 15;60(4):2234-2245. doi: 10.1021/acs.inorgchem.0c03016. Epub 2021 Jan 22.

Abstract

A series of halogenated gallium corroles were synthesized and characterized by UV-vis, HRMS, NMR, and FT-IR. The interaction between these gallium corroles and calf thymus DNA had been investigated by spectroscopic methods. These gallium corroles would interact with CT-DNA via an outside binding mode. The photodynamic antitumor activity in vitro of these gallium corroles toward different cell lines had also been tested. 3-Ga displayed low cytotoxicity to normal cells under both light and dark conditions but high phototoxicity to liver cancer cells HepG2. The vitro experiment results showed that 3-Ga could be efficiently absorbed by tumor cells. After light illumination, it may induce reactive oxygen species (ROS) and cause destruction of the mitochondrial membrane potential, which may finally trigger tumor cell apoptosis. Flow cytometry results showed that HepG2 cells were mainly distributed in the sub-G0 phase, which corresponds to cells with highly fragmented DNA or dead cells generally. This suggests that 3-Ga could lead to tumor cell apoptosis after light illumination.

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • DNA / chemistry*
  • Drug Screening Assays, Antitumor
  • Female
  • Gallium / chemistry*
  • Halogenation*
  • Hep G2 Cells
  • Humans
  • Membrane Potential, Mitochondrial / drug effects
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred BALB C
  • Neoplasms / drug therapy*
  • Neoplasms / metabolism
  • Photochemotherapy*
  • Photosensitizing Agents / chemistry*
  • Photosensitizing Agents / pharmacology*
  • Photosensitizing Agents / toxicity
  • Porphyrins / chemistry*
  • Reactive Oxygen Species / metabolism
  • Spectrum Analysis / methods
  • Toxicity Tests, Acute

Substances

  • Photosensitizing Agents
  • Porphyrins
  • Reactive Oxygen Species
  • corrole
  • DNA
  • Gallium