Water-Soluble Rhenium Clusters with Triazoles: The Effect of Chemical Structure on Cellular Internalization and the DNA Binding of the Complexes

Here we explore the effect of the nature of organic ligands in rhenium cluster complexes [Re6 Q8 L6 ]4- (where Q=S or Se, and L=benzotriazole, 1,2,3-triazole or 1,2,4-triazole) on the biological properties of the complexes, in particular on the cellular toxicity, cellular internalization and localization. Specifically, the study describes the synthesis and detailed characterization of the structure, luminescence and electrochemical properties of the four new Re6 clusters with 1,2,3- and 1,2,4-triazoles. Biological assays of these complexes are also discussed in addition to those with benzotriazole using cervical cancer (HeLa) and immortalized human fibroblasts (CRL-4025) as model cell lines. Our study demonstrates that the presence of hydrophobic and π-bonding rich units such as the benzene ring in benzotriazole significantly enhances cellular internalization of rhenium clusters. These ligands facilitate binding of the clusters to DNA, which results in increased cytotoxicity of the complexes.