Cytotoxic ruthenium(II) polypyridyl complexes with naproxen as NSAID: Synthesis, biological interactions and antioxidant activity

The non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) naproxen (nap) bound to ruthenium(II) in the presence of a bidentate nitrogen donor heterocyclic ligands (bpy = 2,2'-bipyridine and phen = 1,10-phenanthroline), namely, [Ru(bpy)(2)(nap)][PF6] (1) and [Ru(phen)(2)(nap)][PF6] (2) have been synthesized and characterized using various physicochemical methods. Naproxen was coordinated to the Ru(II) center through carboxylato oxygen atoms (-COO-) in a bidentate fashion. The compounds were evaluated for their photophysical properties, stability in solution, reactivity with 5'-guanosine monophosphate (5'GMP) and GSH, interactions with CT-DNA and BSA. The complexes showed high binding affinity or reactivity towards these biological targets and bioanalytes. Both the compounds 1 and 2 showed moderate antioxidant activity by scavenging DPPH (1,1-diphenyl-picrylhydrazyl) and ABTS (2,2'-azinobis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) radicals. The complexes 1 and 2 were highly cytotoxic against PC3 and MCF-7 cancer cells giving IC50 values ranging from 17 mu M to 27 mu M. (C) 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.