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Cu II and Au III Complexes with Glycoconjugated Dithiocarbamato Ligands for Potential Applications in Targeted Chemotherapy
Author(s) -
Pettenuzzo Nicolò,
Brustolin Leonardo,
Coltri Elisa,
Gambalunga Alberto,
Chiara Federica,
Trevisan Andrea,
Biondi Barbara,
Nardon Chiara,
Fregona Dolores
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
chemmedchem
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.817
H-Index - 100
eISSN - 1860-7187
pISSN - 1860-7179
DOI - 10.1002/cmdc.201900226
Subject(s) - chemistry , in vivo , in vitro , monosaccharide , moiety , ligand (biochemistry) , cell culture , combinatorial chemistry , galactose , biochemistry , stereochemistry , cancer research , biology , receptor , genetics , microbiology and biotechnology
This work is focused on the synthesis, characterization, and preliminary biological evaluation of bio‐conjugated Au III and Cu II complexes with the aim of overcoming the well‐known side effects of chemotherapy by improving the selective accumulation of an anticancer metal payload in malignant cells. For this purpose, carbohydrates were chosen as targeting agents, exploiting the Warburg effect that accounts for the overexpression of glucose‐transporter proteins (in particular GLUTs) in the phospholipid bilayer of most neoplastic cells. We linked the dithiocarbamato moiety to the C1 position of three different monosaccharides: d ‐glucose, d ‐galactose, and d ‐mannose. Altogether, six complexes with a 1:2 metal‐to‐ligand stoichiometry were synthesized and in vitro tested as anticancer agents. One of them showed high cytotoxic activity toward the HCT116 colorectal human carcinoma cell line, paving the way to future in vivo studies aimed at evaluating the role of carbohydrates in the selective delivery of whole molecules into cancerous cells.