Anticancer Potencies of PtII- and PdII-linked M2L4 Coordination Capsules with Improved Selectivity

Pt-II- and Pd-II-linked M2L4 coordination capsules, providing a confined cavity encircled by polyaromatic frameworks, exhibit anticancer activities superior to cisplatin against two types of leukemic cells (HL-60 and SKW-3) and pronounced toxicity against cisplatin-resistant cells (HL-60/CDDP). Notably, the cytotoxic selectivities of the Pt-II and Pd-II capsules toward cancerous cells are up to 5.3-fold higher than that of cisplatin, as estimated through the non-malignant/malignant-cells toxicity ratio employing normal kidney cells (HEK-293). In addition, the anticancer activity of the coordination capsules can be easily altered upon encapsulation of organic guest molecules.