Stability, protein binding and thiol interaction studies on [2-acetoxy-(2-propynyl)benzoate]hexacarbonyldicobalt

Abstract

Cobalt-alkyne complexes are a new class of potent cytotoxic drugs. The lead compound [2-acetoxy-(2-propynyl)benzoate]hexacarbonyldicobalt (Co-ASS) showed high effects on several human cancer cell lines. In order to evaluate further the in-vitro properties and reactivity of this substance we performed stability and protein binding studies and investigated the interaction of this complex with 1,2-ethanedithiol, L-cysteine and glutathione. UV-Vis, HPLC and AAS studies showed that the compound was sufficiently stable under in-vitro conditions. Binding to human serum albumin increased from approximately 25% at the beginning to over 50% after 48 h of incubation as determined by ethanol preciptation and size exclusion chromatography. The interaction with thiols resulted in disulfide bond formation of the thiols.