Two New Cu(II) and Zn(II)-Coordination Polymers Induce Gastric Cancer Cells Apoptosis via Upregulating ROS Related Genes

Two new coordination polymers, namely {[Cu(oba)(bpb)0.5](DMF)2}n [1, H2oba = 4,4′-oxybis(benzoic acid), bpb = 1,4-di(pyridin-4-yl)benzene] and {[Zn7(TPA)6(F)4(H2O)6](NO3)4(DMF)3}n (2, Htpa = 4-(1,2,4-triazol-4-yl)phenylacetic acid, DMF = N,N′-dimethylformamide) have been successfully constructed under solvothermal conditions. The in vitro anti-cancer activities of compounds 1 and 2 were evaluated on cancer cells in this study. The CCK-8 assay indicated both compounds 1 and 2 have excellent anti-cancer ability, but the activity of compound 1 is much stronger than compound 2. And the Annexin V-FITC/PI assay revealed that compounds exert anti-cancer effect via inducing cells apoptosis. Then, the further ROS assay revealed that the compound could induce human gastric cancer cells AGS apoptosis by up-regulating the ROS related genes and increasing the generation of ROS.