Antitumor activity of iridium/ruthenium complexes containing Nitro -substituted quinoline ligands in vivo and in vitro

Abstract

Four iridium/ruthenium half-sandwich metal complexes containing 8-hydroxyquinoline ligands were synthesized as anticancer agents. In vitro toxicity results showed that all complexes had outstanding antitumor activity against a variety of tumor cells, especially the MDA-MB-231 cell. The complex could initiate downstream apoptotic signals through the lysosomal damage pathway and the reactive oxygen species (ROS) produced at the same time can further aggravate the damage to lysosomes. In addition, the complex significantly inhibited the growth of tumors in the breast cancer mouse xenograft model in vivo.