Synthesis, chemical characterization and DNA interaction study of new diclofenac and ibuprofen zinc (II)-nicotinamide ternary complexes as cyclooxygenase inhibitor prototypes

Abstract

In the search for new drugs, strategies such as bioisosterism have been evidenced, in which the modification of molecules is already known to be active. Thus, metal complexes of known drugs have been highlighted, with examples of significant improvements in therapeutic efficacy. In this way, this work aimed at the synthesis of new zinc complexes with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), as well as the chemical characterization and the previous toxicity by cytotoxicity with Artemia salina, and evaluating the ability of these compounds to interact with DNA. As result, two new zinc II ternary complexes containing the NSAIDs diclofenac (Diclof) and ibuprofen (Ibup) and nicotinamide neutral linker (Nic) were obtained by the two-step solvent metal-ligand complexation method. Molecular structures were determined by NMR, FTIR, HR-MS, UV–Vis and X-ray diffraction, which demonstrated that both complexes are binuclear systems of general formula [Zn2(R-COO−)4(Nic)2]. Plasmidial DNA breakdown capacities were evaluated by producing single and double breaks (DNA FII and FIII) from plasmid incubation with complex solutions in the concentration range 0 to 400 μmol·L−1 in experiments with the presence and absence of light. Both experiments did not show significant differences (P ≤ 0.05) in induced DNA cleavage activity between the maximum study concentrations (400 μmol·L−1) and the negative controls for both complexes. The types of complex 1 and 2 interactions with the secondary DNA structure were determined by titrating a CT-DNA solution with complex solutions and monitored by circular dichroism spectrometry. The results showed that both complexes interact with the grooves of the secondary structure of CT-DNA by electrostatic attraction, but without evidence of alteration in the primary structure. Acute toxicity tests against Artemia salina showed that both complexes did not produce lethality >10% of the population up to a maximum concentration of 1200 μg·mL−1 within an exposure interval of 24 h. Thus, two new compounds were synthesized, characterized and had their previous toxicities determined. These compounds are promising new drugs, with the next step being evaluations of their activity.