Volume 132, Issue 37 pp. 15968-15972
Zuschrift

A Short-Lived but Highly Cytotoxic Vanadium(V) Complex as a Potential Drug Lead for Brain Cancer Treatment by Intratumoral Injections

Dr. Aviva Levina

Dr. Aviva Levina

School of Chemistry and Sydney Analytical, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, 2006 Australia

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Dr. Adriana Pires Vieira

Dr. Adriana Pires Vieira

School of Chemistry and Sydney Analytical, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, 2006 Australia

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Asanka Wijetunga

Asanka Wijetunga

School of Chemistry and Sydney Analytical, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, 2006 Australia

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Dr. Ravinder Kaur

Dr. Ravinder Kaur

School of Chemistry and Sydney Analytical, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, 2006 Australia

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Dr. Jordan T. Koehn

Dr. Jordan T. Koehn

Department of Chemistry and the Cell and Molecular Biology Program, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, 80523 USA

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Prof. Debbie C. Crans

Corresponding Author

Prof. Debbie C. Crans

Department of Chemistry and the Cell and Molecular Biology Program, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, 80523 USA

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Prof. Peter A. Lay

Corresponding Author

Prof. Peter A. Lay

School of Chemistry and Sydney Analytical, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, 2006 Australia

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First published: 29 June 2020
Citations: 8

Abstract

The chemistry and short lifetimes of metal-based anti-cancer drugs can be turned into an advantage for direct injections into tumors, which then allow the use of highly cytotoxic drugs. The release of their less toxic decomposition products into the blood will lead to decreased toxicity and can even have beneficial effects. We present a ternary VV complex, 1 ([VOL1L2], where L1 is N-(salicylideneaminato)-N′-(2-hydroxyethyl)ethane-1,2-diamine and L2 is 3,5-di-tert-butylcatechol), which enters cells intact to induce high cytotoxicity in a range of human cancer cells, including T98g (glioma multiforme), while its decomposition products in cell culture medium were ≈8-fold less toxic. 1 was 12-fold more toxic than cisplatin in T98g cells and 6-fold more toxic in T98g cells than in a non-cancer human cell line, HFF-1. Its high toxicity in T98g cells was retained in the presence of physiological concentrations of the two main metal-binding serum proteins, albumin and transferrin. These properties favor further development of 1 for brain cancer treatment by intratumoral injections.

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