An anti-cancer trinuclear ruthenium(iii) complex with 2-thiosalicylate ligands attenuates Wnt-β-catenin signaling

Abstract

A new trinuclear ruthenium complex [RuIII3(TSA-H)2(TSA)4][NEt4] (1) with the non-toxic 2-thiosalicylic acid (TSA-H2) ligand could be prepared in a pure form and in a large quantity by a one-pot reaction. Complex 1 is stable under physiological conditions and forms adduct(s) with glutathione (GSH). It is anti-cancer active towards a panel of cancer cell lines, but does not exert its cytotoxicity through DNA binding. This is the first ruthenium complex reported to significantly attenuate the Wnt-β-catenin signaling in both transcriptomic and proteomic levels as demonstrated by DNA microarray, RT-PCR and Western blotting analyses.