Antioxidant activity of new ruthenium compounds

Many biological properties have been attributed to ruthenium complexes including anti-tumor activity and the attenuation of reperfusion damage and infarct size. In this work, we characterize the antioxidant activity of trans-[RuCl2(nic)(4)] where nic is 3-pyridinecarboxylic acid and trans[ RuCl2(i-nic)(4)] where i-nic is 4-pyridinecarboxylic acid by ( i) evaluation of total antioxidant potential ( TRAP); (ii) prevention of DNA damage induced by hydrogen peroxide using the alkaline comet assay; and ( iii) the prevention of lipid peroxidation and cell death induced by iron in liver slices. Our results suggest that nic has stronger antioxidant potential when compared to the i-nic. Higher doses ( above 200 mu M) of these compounds gave genotoxic effects, but the antioxidant potential could be obtained with the use lower doses (0.1 - 10 mu M).