Synthesis, characterization and in vitro cytotoxicity of the first palladium(II) oxalato complexes involving adenine-based ligands

The first [Pd(Lⁿ)₂(ox)] xH₂O oxalato(ox) complexes involving 2-chloro-N6-(benzyl)-9-isopropyladenine (L¹; complex 1), 2-chloro-N6-(4-methoxybenzyl)-9-isopropyladenine (L²; 2), 2-chloro-N6-(2,3-dimethoxybenzyl)-9-isopropyladenine (L³; 3), 2-chloro-N6-(2,4-dimethoxybenzyl)-9-isopropyladenine (L⁴; 4), and 2-chloro-N6-(4-methylbenzyl)-9-isopropyladenine (L⁵; 5) have been synthesized by the reactions of potassium bis(oxalato)palladate(II) dihydrate, [K₂Pd(ox)₂]·2H₂O, with the mentioned organic compounds (H₂ox = oxalic acid; x = 0 for 1-3 and 5 or 2 for 4). Elemental analyses (C, H, N), FTIR, Raman and NMR (¹H, ¹³C, ¹⁵N) spectroscopies, conductivity measurements and thermal studies (thermogravimetric and differential thermal analyses, TG/DTA) have been used to characterize the prepared complexes. The molecular structures of [Pd(L²)₂(ox)] (2) and [Pd(L⁵)₂(ox)]·L⁵·Me₂CO (5·L⁵·Me₂CO) have been determined by a single crystal X-ray analysis. The geometry of these complexes is slightly distorted square-planar with two appropriate Lⁿ (n = 2 or 5) molecules mutually arranged in the head-to-head (2) or head-to-tail (5) orientation. The Lⁿ ligands are coordinated to the central Pd(II) ion via the N7 atoms. The same conclusions regarding the binding properties of L¹-L⁵ ligands can be made based on multinuclear NMR spectra. In vitro cytotoxicity of the complexes 1-5 has been evaluated against human chronic myelogenous leukaemia (K562) and human breast adenocarcinoma (MCF7) cancer cell lines. Significant cytotoxicity has been determined for the complexes 3 (IC₅₀ = 6.2 μM) and 5 (IC₅₀ = 6.8 μM) on the MCF7 cell line, which is even better than that found for the well-known and widely-used platinum-bearing antineoplastic drugs, i.e. oxaliplatin and cisplatin.