Metal-based antitumor agents can target DNA by forming covalent lesions or by intercalating into the double helix of DNA. Cisplatin [cis-diammine dichloroplatinum(II)] cis-PtCl2(NH3)2 is among the most potent anticancer agents approved for clinical use in the history of pharmaceuticals. Its effectiveness, however, is limited by significant side-effects due to lack of specificity and drug resistance. Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is now recognized as an alternative, and, in some cases, a superior approach to conventional treatments for skin and endoscopically accessible tumors. PDT has several advantages for the treatment of cancer, including low systemic toxicity, localized action to irradiated areas, and low level of invasiveness. A new family of dinuclear valent metal-metal bonded complexes that are inactive towards cancer cells in the dark and toxic upon irradiation has been synthesized and characterized. These complexes have the structural formula (1) [Rh2(2-pyrrolidinato)4(CH3CN)2], (2) [Rh2(2-pyrrolidinato)3(CH3CN)6]2+ and (3) [Rh2(2-pyrrolidinato)2(?1-pyrrolidinato)(CH3CN)5]2+, figure 1. In cellulo experiments are being performed to study the cell death mechanism of these compounds, the results of which will be presented. 

Dirhodium (II,II) pyrrolidonato compounds and their applications as anticancer agents

248th National Meeting (2014)

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