Metallopharmaceuticals as Photoactivatable Anticancer Drugs

Target-based research (treating infected site only), directed towards the design and mechanism of action of metal-based anticancer complexes is expanding rapidly due to the selectivity and activity of such novel therapeutics. The photo activation of Ruthenium (II) complexes as therapeutic drugs has recently escalated as the complexes are suitable for photoactivation due to their well published photochemical and photophysical properties which in turn is the basis of photodynamic approaches to therapy.1-5 The aim of this study is to synthesise a series of metallo-complexes of which will be tested on tumour and non-tumour cell lines in the Radiation & Environmental Science Centre (RESC) at FOCAS, DIT. The research in this project commenced early this year with the synthesis of 1,10-phen-5,6-dione (phen-dione), 2-(3 -formylphenyl)imidazo[4,5-f]-[1,10] phenanthroline (mfmp) and 1,3-bis([1,10]-phenanthroline-[5,6-d]imidazol-2-yl)benzene (mbpibH2) as shown in scheme 1and the starting materials Ru(L)2CL2 (where L = 2,2’-bipyridyl or 1,10-phenanthroline). Further derivatives of the ligands will be prepared for comparative purposes in the future. Initial therapeutic efficacy of the ligands and their metal complexes shown in scheme 2 will be established first.