Metals in medicine: metal-related diseases-Tuning the in vitro cell cytotoxicity of dinuclear arene ruthenium trithiolato complexes: influence of the arene ligand

摘要

We recently synthesized thiophenolato-bridged p-cymene ruthenium complexes of the type [(η~6-p-MeC_6H_4Pr~i)_2Ru_2(SR)_3]~+, which are highly cytotoxic against human ovarian cancer cells, the IC_(50) values being in the nanomolar range [1–3]. Their exact mechanism of action is still unclear, although the cytotoxicity of these complexes could be to a certain extent correlated to the lipophilicity of the corresponding thiophenol ligands [2–3].