MERCAPTO/RUTHENIUM NITROSYL COMPLEXES: IN VITRO AND IN VIVO ASSESSMENT OF ANTITUMORAL ACTIVITY

• Grant number: 25/01073-9
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate (Direct)
• Start date: April 01, 2025
• End date: March 31, 2028
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Chemistry - Inorganic Chemistry
• Principal Investigator: Alzir Azevedo Batista
• Grantee: Alex Marchezini Graça
• Host Institution: Centro de Ciências Exatas e de Tecnologia (CCET). Universidade Federal de São Carlos (UFSCAR). São Carlos , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The development of metallic compounds with the aim of finding new drug candidates for the treatment of cancer is necessary, considering that this disease is a serious global public health problem. Thus, this project will be dedicated to obtaining and characterizing a series of new ruthenium(II)-nitrosyl complexes, with ligands of biological interest. In the synthesis stage, the aim is to evaluate the feasibility of coordinating bioligands, such as amino acids and mercaptes with nitrosyl precursors of ruthenium and diphosphines, with the aim of releasing NO via light excitation, in order to aim for the generation of reactive oxygen species. In the expectation that the complexes we will be more efficient in cell death and/or selectivity, in relation to the precursor complex, without the presence of light, so that it can eventually be a potential drug, to be used in photodynamic therapy for the treatment of cancer. The synthesized compounds will be characterized using techniques such as 1H, 13C and 31P{1H} nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, cyclic and differential pulse voltammetry, conductimetry, absorption spectroscopy in the ultraviolet/visible/infrared region, microanalysis and X-ray diffraction of single crystal, when possible. The results obtained will be compared with each other and with data from the literature, seeking a better understanding of the chemical and structural properties of the compounds under study. Subsequently, we intend to test them for their antitumor potential, in vitro, in cell lines derived from human and mouse tumors. If the results of these tests are significant and promising, we intend to extend the work to in vivo experiments.