New Iminodiacetate-Thiosemicarbazone Hybrids and Their Copper(II) Complexes Are Potential Ribonucleotide Reductase R2 Inhibitors with High Antiproliferative Activity

Inorg Chem. 2017 Mar 20;56(6):3532-3549. doi: 10.1021/acs.inorgchem.6b03178. Epub 2017 Mar 2.

Abstract

As ribonucleotide reductase (RNR) plays a crucial role in nucleic acid metabolism, it is an important target for anticancer therapy. The thiosemicarbazone Triapine is an efficient R2 inhibitor, which has entered ∼20 clinical trials. Thiosemicarbazones are supposed to exert their biological effects through effectively binding transition-metal ions. In this study, six iminodiacetate-thiosemicarbazones able to form transition-metal complexes, as well as six dicopper(II) complexes, were synthesized and fully characterized by analytical, spectroscopic techniques (IR, UV-vis; 1H and 13C NMR), electrospray ionization mass spectrometry, and X-ray diffraction. The antiproliferative effects were examined in several human cancer and one noncancerous cell lines. Several of the compounds showed high cytotoxicity and marked selectivity for cancer cells. On the basis of this, and on molecular docking calculations one lead dicopper(II) complex and one thiosemicarbazone were chosen for in vitro analysis as potential R2 inhibitors. Their interaction with R2 and effect on the Fe(III)2-Y· cofactor were characterized by microscale thermophoresis, and two spectroscopic techniques, namely, electron paramagnetic resonance and UV-vis spectroscopy. Our findings suggest that several of the synthesized proligands and copper(II) complexes are effective antiproliferative agents in several cancer cell lines, targeting RNR, which deserve further investigation as potential anticancer drugs.

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Antineoplastic Agents / chemical synthesis
  • Antineoplastic Agents / chemistry
  • Antineoplastic Agents / pharmacology*
  • Apoptosis / drug effects
  • Cell Proliferation / drug effects
  • Copper / chemistry
  • Copper / pharmacology
  • Dose-Response Relationship, Drug
  • Drug Screening Assays, Antitumor
  • Enzyme Inhibitors / chemical synthesis
  • Enzyme Inhibitors / chemistry
  • Enzyme Inhibitors / pharmacology*
  • Humans
  • Imino Acids / chemistry
  • Imino Acids / pharmacology
  • Mice
  • Models, Molecular
  • Molecular Structure
  • Organometallic Compounds / chemical synthesis
  • Organometallic Compounds / chemistry
  • Organometallic Compounds / pharmacology*
  • Ribonucleotide Reductases / antagonists & inhibitors*
  • Ribonucleotide Reductases / isolation & purification
  • Ribonucleotide Reductases / metabolism
  • Structure-Activity Relationship
  • Thiosemicarbazones / chemistry
  • Thiosemicarbazones / pharmacology
  • Tumor Cells, Cultured

Substances

  • Antineoplastic Agents
  • Enzyme Inhibitors
  • Imino Acids
  • Organometallic Compounds
  • Thiosemicarbazones
  • Copper
  • Ribonucleotide Reductases
  • ribonucleotide reductase R2 subunit
  • iminodiacetic acid