1,10-Phenanthroline promotes copper complexes into tumor cells and induces apoptosis by inhibiting the proteasome activity.

Abstract

Indole-3-acetic acid and indole-3-propionic acid, two potent natural plant growth hormones, have attracted attention as promising prodrugs in cancer therapy. Copper is known to be a cofactor essential for tumor angiogenesis. We have previously reported that taurine, L-glutamine, and quinoline-2-carboxaldehyde Schiff base copper complexes inhibit cell proliferation and proteasome activity in human cancer cells. In the current study, we synthesized two types of copper complexes, dinuclear complexes and ternary complexes, to investigate whether a certain structure could easily carry copper into cancer cells and consequently inhibit tumor proteasome activity and induce apoptosis. We observed that ternary complexes binding with 1,10-phenanthroline are more potent proteasome inhibitors and apoptosis inducers than dinuclear complexes in PC-3 human prostate cancer cells. Furthermore, the ternary complexes potently inhibit proteasome activity before induction of apoptosis in MDA-MB-231 human breast cancer cells, but not in nontumorigenic MCF-10A cells. Our results suggest that copper complexes binding with 1,10-phenanthroline as the third ligand could serve as potent, selective proteasome inhibitors and apoptosis inducers in tumor cells, and that the ternary complexes may be good potential anticancer drugs.

• Authors: Zhen Zhang, Caifeng Bi, Sara M Schmitt, Yuhua Fan, Lili Dong, Jian Zuo, Q Ping Dou
• Journal: Journal of biological inorganic chemistry : JBIC : a publication of the Society of Biological Inorganic Chemistry (J Biol Inorg Chem) Vol. 17 Issue 8 Pg. 1257-67 (Dec 2012) ISSN: 1432-1327 [Electronic] Germany
• PMID: 23053530 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)

Chemical References

• Coordination Complexes
• Phenanthrolines
• Proteasome Inhibitors
• Copper
• 1,10-phenanthroline

Topics

• Apoptosis (drug effects)
• Blotting, Western
• Cell Line, Tumor
• Cell Proliferation (drug effects)
• Coordination Complexes (chemical synthesis, chemistry, pharmacology, therapeutic use)
• Copper (chemistry)
• Dose-Response Relationship, Drug
• Female
• Humans
• Male
• Molecular Structure
• Neoplasms (drug therapy)
• Phenanthrolines (chemistry, pharmacology)
• Proteasome Inhibitors (chemical synthesis, chemistry, pharmacology, therapeutic use)