N-heterocyclic carbene complexes of silver and gold as novel tools against breast cancer progression. (December 2016)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Saturnino, Carmela; Barone, Ines; Iacopetta, Domenico; Mariconda, Annaluisa; Sinicropi, Maria Stefania; Rosano, Camillo; Campana, Antonella; Catalano, Stefania; Longo, Pasquale; Andò, Sebastiano
• Is Part Of: Future medicinal chemistry. Volume 8:Number 18(2016)
• Page Start: 2213
• Page End: 2229
• Publication Date: 2016-12
• Subjects: breast cancer -- mitochondria -- N-heterocyclic carbene complexes -- p53 -- Sp1 -- transmetallation; Pharmaceutical chemistry -- Periodicals; 615.19005
• DOI: 10.4155/fmc-2016-0160
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1756-8919

Abstract

Aim: Metal carbenic complexes have received considerable attention in both the catalysis and biological fields for their potential applications in cancer and antimicrobial therapies.Results: A small series of new silver and gold N-heterocyclic carbene complexes has been designed and synthesized. Among the tested complexes, one compound was particularly active in inhibiting anchorage-dependent and -independent breast cancer proliferation, and inducing cell apoptosis via a mitochondria-related process. The antitumor activity was associated to the transcriptional activation of the tumor suppressor gene p53 in an Sp1-dependent manner, as evidenced by biological and docking studies.Conclusion: Our results highlight the importance and the versatility of N -heterocyclic carbene complexes of gold and silver as useful tools against breast cancer progression.