Arene ruthenium dichloro complexes containing isonicotinic ester ligands: Synthesis, molecular structure and cytotoxicity

A series of p-cymene ruthenium dichloro complexes contg. isonicotinic ester ligands, [(arene)RuCl2NC5H4-4-COO-C6H4-p-O-(CH2)n-CH3] (n = 1: 1, n = 3: 2, n = 5: 3, n = 7: 4, n = 9: 5, n = 11: 6, n = 13: 7, n = 15: 8), were prepd. from p-cymene ruthenium dichloro dimer and the corresponding isonicotinic ester ligand. The single-crystal x-ray anal. of 1 shows the mol. to adopt the usual pseudo-tetrahedral piano-stool geometry, the isonicotinic ester ligand being coordinated through the nitrogen atom. The cytotoxicity of all complexes and of the free ligands was studied towards human ovarian cancer cells; high activities were obsd. only for n = 9 (presenting a chain with ten carbon atoms), both as far as the free ligands and the complexes are concerned. Based on this result, a new isonicotinic ester ligand with a C10 substituent contg. a terminal alc. function, NC5H4-4-COO-C6H4-p-O-(CH2)10-OH, was synthesized by a four-step method, and arene ruthenium complexes thereof, [(arene)RuCl2NC5H4-4-COO-C6H4-p-O-(CH2)10-OH] (arene = C6H6: 9a, arene = p-MeC6H4Pri: 9b, arene = C6Me6: 9c) were prepd. The complexes 9a and 9b show indeed remarkable anticancer activities, the IC50 values for human ovarian cancer cells being in the submicromolar range. The highest cytotoxicity was obsd. for complex 9b, with IC50 values of 0.18 ?M for A2780 and 3.04 ?M for the cisplatin-resistant mutant A2780cisR. [on SciFinder(R)]