{"title":"Antitumor activity of ruthenium(III) complexes with [N2O2]-tetradentate Schiff base ligands","authors":"Zdravka Petrova , Teodora Mocanu , Rossen Spasov , Anamaria Hanganu , Gabriela Marinescu , Daniela C. Culita , Radostina Alexandrova","doi":"10.1016/j.jinorgbio.2025.112853","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jinorgbio.2025.112853","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In this article, the antitumor and antiproliferative activity of three Ru(III) complexes, [Ru<sup>III</sup>(Salen)(PPh<sub>3</sub>)Cl] (<strong>RuSalen</strong>), [Ru<sup>III</sup>(Salphen)(PPh<sub>3</sub>)Cl] (<strong>RuSalphen</strong>), and [Ru<sup>III</sup>(Salpn)(PPh<sub>3</sub>)Cl] (<strong>RuSalpn</strong>) (H<sub>2</sub>Salen, H<sub>2</sub>Salphen and H<sub>2</sub>Salpn are the Schiff bases obtained by the condensation between salicylaldehyde and ethylenediamine, 1,2-phenylenediamine, and 1,3-diaminopropanne, respectively) and their precursor, [Ru<sup>II</sup>(PPh<sub>3</sub>)<sub>3</sub>Cl<sub>2</sub>], were investigated against laboratory-cultured tumor cell lines: HT29 (human colorectal carcinoma), Saos-2 (human osteogenic sarcoma), HeLa (human cervical carcinoma), RST (rat transplantable sarcoma), and the non-tumor cell line Lep3 (embryonal human fibroblasts). It was found that all the cancer cell lines investigated were effectively dose-dependently inhibited in their growth by the Ru(III) complexes, while the non-tumor cell line Lep3 was the least affected by their cytotoxic effect. The Annexin V assay revealed that the Ru(III) complexes determined the occurrence of apoptosis in all cell lines tested, in a dose-dependent manner. <strong>RuSalpn</strong> exhibited the strongest ability to reduce tumor cell survival and proliferation, with efficacy that is either superior to or comparable to that of well-established clinical oncology agents such as cisplatin, oxaliplatin, epirubicin, and paclitaxel. The experiments revealed a cell-specific response, with varying degrees of sensitivity to the tested substances across different cell lines. <strong>RuSalpn</strong> demonstrated the strongest cytotoxic effect in the HT29 cell line, while <strong>RuSalen</strong>, <strong>RuSalphen</strong> showed the highest activity against RST cells. It was found that <strong>RuSalphen</strong> (≥7.0 μM) significantly inhibited cell migratory activity in the HT29 cell line, while in the RST cell line, <strong>RuSalen</strong> (≥37.6 μM), <strong>RuSalphen</strong> (≥14.0 μM), and <strong>RuSalpn</strong> (≥36.8 μM) demonstrated a strong inhibitory effect on cell migration.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":364,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Inorganic Biochemistry","volume":"266 ","pages":"Article 112853"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2025-02-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143395398","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Xing-Yun Lu , Lin-Yuan Zhu , Hou Zhu, Shao-Jun Huang, Yong-Sheng Yang, Chun-Rong Jiang, Rui-Rong Ye
{"title":"Cyclometalated iridium(III)-lonidamine conjugates: Mitochondrial targeting and pyroptosis induction","authors":"Xing-Yun Lu , Lin-Yuan Zhu , Hou Zhu, Shao-Jun Huang, Yong-Sheng Yang, Chun-Rong Jiang, Rui-Rong Ye","doi":"10.1016/j.jinorgbio.2025.112852","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jinorgbio.2025.112852","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>A series of cyclometalated Ir(III)-lonidamine (LND) complexes (<strong>Ir-LND-1–6</strong>) with the formula [Ir(C^N)<sub>2</sub>bpy(4-CH<sub>3</sub>–4’-CH<sub>2</sub>OLND)](PF<sub>6</sub>) (<strong>Ir-LND-1–3</strong>) and [Ir(C^N)<sub>2</sub>bpy(4-CH<sub>2</sub>OLND-4’-CH<sub>2</sub>OLND)](PF<sub>6</sub>) (<strong>Ir-LND-4–6</strong>) (C^<em>N</em> = 2-phenylpyridine (ppy, in <strong>Ir-LND-1</strong> and <strong>Ir-LND-4</strong>), 2-(2-thienyl) pyridine (thpy, in <strong>Ir-LND-2</strong> and <strong>Ir-LND-5</strong>) and 2-(2,4-difluorophenyl) pyridine (dfppy, in <strong>Ir-LND-3</strong> and <strong>Ir-LND-6</strong>)), were designed and synthesized. 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-biphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay data showed that the cytotoxicity of <strong>Ir-LND-1–3</strong> carry one LND moiety was superior to that of <strong>Ir-LND-4</strong>–<strong>6</strong> with two LND moieties. Therefore, we selected <strong>Ir-LND-1–3</strong> as model compounds to investigate the anti-tumor mechanism of the Ir(III)-LND system. The results showed that <strong>Ir-LND-1–3</strong> could inhibit cancer cell migration and colony formation. In addition, <strong>Ir-LND-1–3</strong> could penetrate into HeLa cells and localized to mitochondria, further disrupting mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP), increasing intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS), and reducing intracellular adenosine triphosphate (ATP). Further exploration of anti-tumor mechanisms showed that pyroptosis was the main mode of <strong>Ir-LND-1–3</strong> induced cell death, manifested as membrane perforation and swelling, activation of caspase-3 and cleavage of Gasdermin E (GSDME), as well as release of lactic dehydrogenase (LDH) and ATP. The pyroptosis induced by <strong>Ir-LND-1–3</strong> also initiated immunogenic cell death (ICD) by triggering the release of calreticulin (CRT) and high mobility group protein b1 (HMGB1) on the cell surface.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":364,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Inorganic Biochemistry","volume":"266 ","pages":"Article 112852"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2025-02-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143377093","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Heme and immunity: The heme oxygenase dichotomy","authors":"Melissa Perry , Iqbal Hamza","doi":"10.1016/j.jinorgbio.2025.112844","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jinorgbio.2025.112844","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Heme, an iron containing organic ring, is required for a diverse range of biological processes across all forms of life. Although this nutrient is essential, its pro-inflammatory and cytotoxic properties can lead to cellular damage. Heme oxygenase 1 (HO-1) is an endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-anchored enzyme that degrades heme, releasing equimolar amounts of carbon monoxide (CO), biliverdin (BV), and iron. The induction of HO-1 by heme presents an interesting dichotomy in the cell: CO and BV possess anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties while free iron can be detrimental as it can generate hydroxyl radicals through the Fenton reaction. The heme/HO-1 axis is tightly regulated, and can influence cell fate, local tissue environments, and disease outcomes during pathogen infection. In this review we explore the role of heme during macrophage polarization and its ability to act as an immune activator while also examining the contribution of HO-1 and heme during infections with intracellular and extracellular pathogens. We highlight work from the emerging field of nutritional immunity of heme and iron, and how the substrates and byproducts of heme metabolism via HO-1 can be beneficial to the host or the pathogen depending on the context.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":364,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Inorganic Biochemistry","volume":"267 ","pages":"Article 112844"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2025-02-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143445201","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Lidia Zapała , Ewa Ciszkowicz , Małgorzata Kosińska-Pezda , Urszula Maciołek , Anna E. Kozioł , Anna Miłoś , Elżbieta Woźnicka , Aleksandra Bocian , Wojciech Zapała , Katarzyna Rydel-Ciszek , Maria Grazia Perrone
{"title":"Novel silver(I) complexes with fenamates: Insights into synthesis, spectral characterization, and bioactivity","authors":"Lidia Zapała , Ewa Ciszkowicz , Małgorzata Kosińska-Pezda , Urszula Maciołek , Anna E. Kozioł , Anna Miłoś , Elżbieta Woźnicka , Aleksandra Bocian , Wojciech Zapała , Katarzyna Rydel-Ciszek , Maria Grazia Perrone","doi":"10.1016/j.jinorgbio.2025.112846","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jinorgbio.2025.112846","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Six new Ag(I) ions complexes with <em>N</em>-phenylanthranilic, mefenamic, and niflumic acids have been synthesized. Three of them are binary complexes with the [Ag(L)] formula (where L represents <em>N-</em>phenylanthranilate (nfa), mefenamate (mfa), or niflumate (nif) ions), and the other three complexes are ternary with the formula [Ag(L)(phen)<sub>2</sub>]⋅nH<sub>2</sub>O (where phen - 1,10-phenanthroline). The complexes were characterized by elemental analysis, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), X-ray fluorescence, powder X-ray diffraction, and single-crystal X-ray structure analysis. <strong>Additionally,</strong> techniques such as ESI-MS spectrometry, <sup>1</sup>H NMR, UV–Vis, and FTIR spectroscopy were employed. The X-ray crystallography showed that in the solid [Ag(nif)] complex, the cation showed an unusual structure with coordination number 5, i.e. AgO<sub>3</sub>NC. The silver cation interacts with three niflumate anions, forming a two-dimensional coordination polymer. Complexes have potential antibacterial efficacy with varied minimum inhibitory concentration values (MIC) between 45.96 and 800 μM against multidrug-resistant <em>Pseudomonas aeruginosa</em>. Antibacterial combination therapy of Ag(I) complexes with chloramphenicol (CHL) and kanamycin (KAN) showed a very strong synergistic impact against <em>P. aeruginosa</em> with no cytotoxic effect on normal human fibroblasts. Complexes [Ag(nif)] and [Ag(nfa)] inhibit protein denaturation, bind to BSA via <strong>static quenching</strong> (k<sub>q</sub> = 0.65–1.08 × 10<sup>13</sup> M<sup>−1</sup> s<sup>−1</sup>). Furthermore, the formation of these complexes enhances the penetration of the drug across <strong>human membrane monolayers</strong>, which could improve bioavailability and therapeutic potential. The [Ag(nif)] complex demonstrates significant potential for topical dermal application due to its antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties. Notably, among all complexes evaluated, it displays the lowest BA/AB ratio (5.41), facilitating the most efficient transdermal permeation.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":364,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Inorganic Biochemistry","volume":"266 ","pages":"Article 112846"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2025-02-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143386446","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Chongyang Wu , Yanni Shan , Jingming Luo , Xudong Fan , Ren Zheng , Suhang Guo , Xinjun Cai
{"title":"Silver(I) complexes containing bioactive salicylic acid derivatives: Synthesis, characterization, antibacterial activity, and their underlying mechanism","authors":"Chongyang Wu , Yanni Shan , Jingming Luo , Xudong Fan , Ren Zheng , Suhang Guo , Xinjun Cai","doi":"10.1016/j.jinorgbio.2025.112845","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jinorgbio.2025.112845","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Recognizing that silver-metallodrugs are a potential source of novel anti-infective therapeutic agents, this work adopts the complexation of biologically active salicylic acid derivatives with inherently antibacterial silver(I) ions as a strategy for developing new antibacterial agents. The synthesized silver(I) complexes were characterized by elemental analysis, spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction analysis. The crystallographic results indicate that the silver(I) ion in complexes [Ag(imH)<sub>2</sub>](SalH) (<strong>1</strong>) and [Ag(imH)<sub>2</sub>](DiSalH)·H<sub>2</sub>O (<strong>2</strong>) only coordinates with the imidazole nitrogen atom, while the 4-aminosalicylic acid in complex [Ag(imH)<sub>2</sub>(AmSalH)]·H<sub>2</sub>O (<strong>3</strong>) additionally coordinate with the silver(I) ion through the amino nitrogen atom. Salicylic acid molecules play an important role in the construction of the three-dimensional network structure through weak interactions. In addition, thermogravimetric analysis, stability, and silver(I) ion release experiments indicate that these complexes have good stability and slow ion release rates. Cell toxicity and antibacterial tests were conducted on selected cell lines and microorganisms using complexes <strong>1–3</strong>, and compared with silver(I) salts, organic ligands, and antibiotic. All complexes exhibit better biocompatibility and certain anti-tumor selectivity than silver(I) salts. From the perspective of microbial toxicity, complexes <strong>1–3</strong> all have significant inhibitory effects on three bacteria strains, with complex <strong>1</strong> having the strongest antibacterial activity, exhibiting 4–6 times higher activity against certain strains than AgNO<sub>3</sub> and chloramphenicol. Mechanism studies have shown that cell wall perforation and imbalance of intracellular ROS levels may be possible reasons for silver(I) complexes induced bacterial cell death. The biofilm removal experiment further proves the potential use of silver(I) complexes <strong>1–3</strong> in the treatment of bacterial infections.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":364,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Inorganic Biochemistry","volume":"266 ","pages":"Article 112845"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2025-02-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143372856","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Tapiwa Chiura, Minh N. Pham, Dana A. Baum, Piotr J. Mak
{"title":"Interactions between heme and G-quadruplex DNA involve the oxygen of guanine","authors":"Tapiwa Chiura, Minh N. Pham, Dana A. Baum, Piotr J. Mak","doi":"10.1016/j.jinorgbio.2025.112843","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jinorgbio.2025.112843","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Guanine quadruplexes are non-canonical DNA structures with various functions including transcription and translation regulation and telomere protection. These structures are known to bind the heme prosthetic group, resulting in heme-bound G-quadruplexes (heme-G4) that exhibit enhanced peroxidase activity and act as promising biocatalysts. The structure of the heme-G4, specifically how the DNA scaffold interacts with the heme iron, is key in understanding the catalytic mechanism of these DNAzymes. In heme proteins, the nature of a heme axial ligand plays an essential role in manipulating the inherent reactivity of the heme prosthetic group. Several proposals regarding the heme axial ligand in the heme-G4 complexes have been previously presented, including nitrogen or oxygen atoms of the guanine base or a water molecule sandwiched between the heme macrocycle and the DNA quadruplex. Despite numerous studies, no convincing experimental evidence has yet been provided as to the nature of the key proximal ligand. In this work, we present extensive electronic absorption and resonance Raman spectroscopic studies of ferric and ferrous heme-G4 complexes, including their ligated forms. Our studies provide experimental evidence that the oxygen atom of the guanine base acts as an axial ligand supported by detection of the <em>ν</em>(Fe-O<sub>G</sub>) stretching mode at 563 cm<sup>−1</sup> in the spectra of ferric heme-G4. These results provide structural data that can help understand the mechanistic principles behind the observed enhanced peroxidase activity of heme-G4 quadruplexes and aid in design of advanced biocatalysts.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":364,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Inorganic Biochemistry","volume":"266 ","pages":"Article 112843"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2025-02-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143350533","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Corrigendum to “New insights into the O2-sensing mechanism of FixL and other gas sensing heme proteins” [Journal of Inorganic Biochemistry 259 (2024) 112642]","authors":"Mark F. Reynolds","doi":"10.1016/j.jinorgbio.2024.112746","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jinorgbio.2024.112746","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":364,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Inorganic Biochemistry","volume":"263 ","pages":"Article 112746"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142338548","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Charles R.M. Soukup , Rebekah N. Duffin , Kirralee J. Burke , Laurence Meagher , Philip C. Andrews
{"title":"The antibacterial activity and selectivity of bismuth(III) tris(8-hydroxyquinolinates)","authors":"Charles R.M. Soukup , Rebekah N. Duffin , Kirralee J. Burke , Laurence Meagher , Philip C. Andrews","doi":"10.1016/j.jinorgbio.2025.112836","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jinorgbio.2025.112836","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The series of bismuth(III) <em>tris</em>(8-hydroxyquinolinates); [Bi(Q\")<sub>3</sub>] (<strong>1</strong>)<strong>,</strong> [Bi(Q'Cl)<sub>3</sub>] (<strong>2</strong>)<strong>,</strong> [Bi(QCl<sub>2</sub>)<sub>3</sub>] (<strong>3</strong>)<strong>,</strong> [Bi(QBr<sub>2</sub>)<sub>3</sub>] (<strong>4</strong>)<strong>,</strong> and [Bi(QI<sub>2</sub>)<sub>3</sub>] (<strong>5</strong>) (where Q\"-<em>H</em> = C<sub>9</sub>H<sub>7</sub>NO; Q'Cl-<em>H</em> = C<sub>9</sub>H<sub>6</sub>NOCl, QCl<sub>2</sub>-<em>H</em> = C<sub>9</sub>H<sub>5</sub>NOCl<sub>2</sub>; QBr<sub>2</sub>-<em>H</em> = C<sub>9</sub>H<sub>5</sub>NOBr<sub>2</sub>; and QI<sub>2</sub>-<em>H</em> = C<sub>9</sub>H<sub>5</sub>NOI<sub>2</sub>) were synthesised, fully characterised, and evaluated for their antibacterial activity towards three Gram-positive bacteria (vancomycin-resistant <em>E. faecalis</em>, <em>S. aureus</em>, methicillin-resistant <em>S. aureus</em>), and four Gram-negative bacteria (<em>A. baumannii</em>, <em>P. aeruginosa</em>, <em>K. pneumoniae</em>, and <em>E. coli</em>) and also their cytotoxicity towards mammalian cells. New crystallographic data on <strong>4</strong> indicates it is dimeric in the solid state through ‘Bi<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub>’ bridging which is consistent with data previously reported for <strong>5</strong>. The five complexes (<strong>1–5)</strong> all exhibited good but variable antibacterial activity and selectivity. Complexes <strong>2</strong> and <strong>5</strong> showed significant activity towards Gram-positive bacteria with MIC (minimum inhibitory concentration) values ranging from 0.78 μM – 3.13 μM and selectivity indices of 6.2 – ≥16.0. For Gram-negative species, complexes <strong>3</strong> and <strong>4</strong> exhibited highly selective activity towards multi-drug resistant strains of <em>A. baumannii</em> with a range of MIC values 0.39–1.56 μM and selectivity indices of 3.14–7.23 respectively. While some of the 8-hydroxyquinolines themselves show reasonable antibacterial activity this is generally enhanced through complexation to bismuth(III).</div></div>","PeriodicalId":364,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Inorganic Biochemistry","volume":"266 ","pages":"Article 112836"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2025-01-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143314190","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}