Cobalt(II) complexes with thiosemicarbazone as potential antitumor agents: synthesis, crystal structures, DNA interactions, and cytotoxicity.

Two cobalt(II) complexes [Co(QCT)2]·Cl·1.5H2O (1) (QCT = quinoline-2-carboxaldehyde thiosemicarbazone) and [Co(QCMT)(CH3OH)Cl2] (2) (QCMT = quinoline-2-carboxaldehydeN4-methyl-thiosemicarbazone) have been synthesized and structurally characterized. Complex1crystallizes in a triclinic system with space groupP–1 and complex2crystallizes in a monoclinic system with space groupP2(1)/n. In both complexes the cobalt(II) center is six coordinated with distorted octahedral geometry. The interactions of two complexes with CT-DNA were investigated by electronic absorption spectra, circular dichroism (CD) spectra and fluorescence spectra. Results suggest that the complexes bind to DNAviagroove binding mode, and complex2has stronger binding ability than complex1. Thein vitrocytotoxicity has been tested against the human lung adenocarcinoma cell line A-549, cisplatin-resistant cell line A-549/CDDP, and human breast adenocarcinoma cell line MCF-7. Complex2is more cytotoxic than complex1, and both of them show higher cytotoxicity than the parent ligands alone. Compared with cisplatin, the two cobalt(II) complexes are more active against A-549/CDDP and MCF-7 cell lines at most experimental concentrations. Notably, although complex 2 is found to be less effective than cisplatin against the parent cell line A-549, it is much more effective than cisplatin against the resistant cell A-549/CDDP. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]