Currently there are three platinum containing anticancer drugs on the market: cisplatin, oxaliplatin, and carboplatin. These compounds vary in their leaving ligands, which are the locations on the compounds that will be replaced by their biological targets (DNA and protein). Our research focuses on testing different platinum containing compounds that have a nonleaving ethylenediamine ligand, similar to the nonleaving ligand found in cisplatin, and variable leaving ligands. Testing the different compounds on cancer cell lines allows us to determine the effects the leaving ligands have on the ability of the platinum compounds to kill cancer cells.<br/><br/>The experimental testing involves performing MTT assays on colorectal and testicular cancer cell lines that have been treated with different platinum compounds. In MTT assays, the living cells can reduce a dye to a purple color that can be quantified to determine cell survival, which is useful in determining the dose-dependent toxicity of the compounds on each cell line. The testicular and colorectal cancer cell lines were chosen because of the success of cisplatin and oxaliplatin in killing those specific cancer cells.<br/><br/>The main purpose of this research is to observe how the leaving ligands affect cellular uptake, cell line specificity, and cancer cell death. The MTT assays have suggested that Caco-2 cells have a greater response to oxaliplatin, and that platinum ethylenediamine dichloride has a lower toxicity than cisplatin. Since more effective anticancer treatments are greatly needed, research into the most effective cancer killing leaving ligand on platinum compounds is extremely valuable.

Effects of leaving ligands on prospective anticancer compounds

251st National Meeting (2016)

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