Effects induced by η6-p-cymene ruthenium(II) complexes on Langmuir monolayers mimicking cancer and healthy cell membranes do not correlate with their toxicity

Author(s)

Wrobel, Ellen C. ; Guimaraes, Ivelise Dimbarre Lao ; Wohnrath, Karen ; Oliveira Jr, Osvaldo N.

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-BIOMEMBRANES; v. 1866, n. 5, p. 14-pg., 2024-05-17.

Abstract

The mechanism of chemotherapeutic action of Ru-based drugs involves plasma membrane disruption and valuable insights into this process may be gained using cell membrane models. The interactions of a series of cytotoxic eta 6-p-cymene ruthenium(II) complexes, [Ru(eta 6-p-cymene)P(3,5-C(CH3)3-C6H3)3Cl2] (1), [Ru(eta 6-pcymene)P(3,5-CH3-C6H3)3Cl2] (2), [Ru(eta 6-p-cymene)P(4-CH3O-3,5-CH3-C6H2)3Cl2] (3), and [Ru(eta 6-p-cymene)P (4-CH3O-C6H4)3Cl2] (4), were examined using Langmuir monolayers as simplified healthy and cancerous outer leaflet plasma membrane models. The cancerous membrane (CM1 and CM2) models contained either 40 % 1,2dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DPPC) or 1,2-dioleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DOPC), 30 % cholesterol (Chol), 20 % 1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoethanolamine (DPPE), and 10 % 1,2-dipalmitoylsn-glycero-3-phospho-L-serine (DPPS). Meanwhile, the healthy membrane (HM1 and HM2) models were composed of 60 % DPPC or DOPC, 30 % Chol and 10 % DPPE. The complexes affected surface pressure isotherms and decreased compressional moduli of cancerous and healthy membrane models, interacting with the monolayers headgroup and tails according to data from polarization-modulated infrared reflection absorption spectroscopy (PM-IRRAS). However, the effects did not correlate with the toxicity of the complexes to cancerous and healthy cells. Multidimensional projection technique showed that the complex (1) induced significant changes in the CM1 and HM1 monolayers, though it had the lowest cytotoxicity against cancer cells and is not toxic to healthy cells. Moreover, the most toxic complexes (2) and (4) were those that least affected CM2 and HM2 monolayers. The findings here support that the ruthenium complexes interact with lipids and cholesterol in cell membrane models, and their cytotoxic activities involve a multifaceted mode of action beyond membrane disruption. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 18/22214-6 - Towards a convergence of technologies: from sensing and biosensing to information visualization and machine learning for data analysis in clinical diagnosis
• Grantee: Osvaldo Novais de Oliveira Junior
• Support Opportunities: Research Projects - Thematic Grants
• FAPESP's process: 20/15571-7 - Encapsulation of antitumoral ruthenium complexes into calixarene derivatives: a study of drug delivery systems and cell membrane models
• Grantee: Ellen Christine Wrobel
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral