A New Samarium(III) Complex of Liriodenine: Synthesis, Crystal Structure, Antitumor Activity, and DNA Binding Study

Abstract

A novel SmIII complex [SmIII(LA)2(pic)3] (Hpic = picric acid), in which LA is a natural‐derived alkaloid, liriodenine, was synthesized and characterized by IR, elemental analysis, and single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction analysis. This complex showed enhanced solubility compared with liriodenine and its metal complexes that have been previously reported. The interaction of the SmIII complex with ct‐DNA was further investigated by various spectroscopic techniques, such as UV/Vis spectroscopy, fluorescence spectroscopy, circular dichroism spectroscopy (CD), and viscosity measurement. The results showed that the intrinsic binding constant Kb of the SmIII complex with ct‐DNA was calculated to be 5.03 × 103 L·mol–1 by UV/Vis absorption spectral analysis. The thermodynamic fluorescent spectral analysis suggested that the fluorescence intensity of the SmIII complex was weakened by ct‐DNA mainly through a dynamic quenching mechanism. The presence of Sm complex could increase the viscosity of DNA solution, so it was concluded that the complex bound with ct‐DNA via a moderate intercalative mode. Furthermore, this SmIII complex exhibited significant growth inhibition on the three typical tumor cell lines, HepG2, T‐24, and SK‐OV‐3, with the corresponding IC50 values, 10.76 ± 0.19, 8.85 ± 1.12, and 10.01 ± 0.55 μM, respectively. The in vitro antitumor activity was comparable with LA and cisplatin, which suggested that it might be a new broad spectrum antitumor agent with more satisfying solubility.