Research on platinum-based anticancer drugs continuously strives to develop new non-classical platinum complexes. Pt(IV) prodrugs are the most promising, and their activation-by-reduction mechanism of action is being explored as a prospect for higher selectivity and efficiency. Herein, we present the anticancer potency and chemical reactivity of Pt(IV) complexes formed by linking pyrene butyric acid with cisplatin. The results from cytotoxicity screening on 10 types of cancer cell lines and non-malignant cells (HEK-293) indicated IC50 values as low as 50-70 nM for the monosubstituted Pt(IV) complex against leukemia cell lines (HL-60 and SKW3) and a cisplatin-resistant derivative (HL-60/CDDP). Interestingly, the bis-substituted complex is virtually non-toxic to both healthy and cancerous cells of adherent types. Nevertheless, it shows high cytotoxicity against multidrug-resistant derivatives HL-60/CDDP and HL-60/Dox. The reactivity of the complexes with biological reductants was monitored by the NMR method. Furthermore, the platinum uptake by the treated cells was examined on two types of cellular cultures: adherent and suspension growing, and proteome profiling was conducted to track expression changes of key apoptosis-related proteins in HL-60 cells. The general conclusion points to a possible cytoskeletal entrapment of the bulkier bis-pyrene complex that could be limiting its cytotoxicity to adherent cells, both cancerous and healthy ones.
Keywords: activation by reduction; anticancer agents; cellular uptake; cytotoxicity; platinum(IV) prodrugs.