An anticancer metallobenzylmalonate:: crystal structure and anticancer activity of a palladium complex of 2,2′-bipyridine and benzylmalonate

The novel metallobenzylmalonate [Pd(bipy)(bmal)] center dot 2H(2)O (bipy 2,2'-bipyridyl, bmal benzylmalonate) has been synthesized and structurally characterized by element analyses, electronic spectroscopy, electrophoresis and single-crystal X-ray diffraction. The complex is orthorhombic, space group Pna2(1), with a = 7.637(2), b = 13.018(4), c = 20.961(7) angstrom, V = 2083.8(12) angstrom(3), Z = 4. Pd(1) is four coordinated by two nitrogen atoms from the bipy ligand and two oxygen atoms from bmal with square planar geometry. In the lattice, pi-pi stacking and hydrogen bonding are the main intermolecular interactions and propitious for non-covalent insertion into DNA molecules. Electronic spectra confirm that the main reaction mode of the compound with DNA is non-covalent. Electrophoresis shows the cleavage of both supercoiled and circular DNA to form small molecular fragments under the action of the complex. The complex shows excellent anti-cancer activity towards lung cancer AGZY-83a.