Appraisal of the redox behaviour of the antimetastatic ruthenium(III) complex [ImH][RuCl(4)(DMSO)(Im)], NAMI-A

Dalton Trans. 2004 Aug 7:(15):2347-51. doi: 10.1039/b400952E. Epub 2004 Jun 29.

Abstract

The imidazolium trans-tetrachloro(dimethylsulfoxide)imidazoleruthenate(III) complex [ImH][Ru(III)Cl(4)(DMSO)(Im)], NAMI-A, has shown an interesting antimetastatic activity. Since Ru(III) complexes are coordinatively more inert than the corresponding Ru(II) derivatives, an "activation by reduction" mechanism has been proposed to explain the biological activity of NAMI-A, thus acting as a pro-drug. We report here an electrochemical study on NAMI-A in aqueous solutions which emphasizes the structural and chemical consequences accompanying the easy Ru(III)/Ru(II) electron transfer (e.g., axial imidazole/water exchange in acidic solution in the short timescale of cyclic voltammetry followed by equatorial chloride/water exchange in the longer timescale of macroelectrolysis).

MeSH terms

  • Antineoplastic Agents / chemistry*
  • Dimethyl Sulfoxide / analogs & derivatives*
  • Dimethyl Sulfoxide / chemistry*
  • Electrodes
  • Electrolysis
  • Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy
  • Neoplasm Metastasis
  • Organometallic Compounds / chemistry*
  • Oxidation-Reduction
  • Ruthenium / chemistry*
  • Ruthenium Compounds
  • Spectrometry, Mass, Electrospray Ionization
  • Time Factors

Substances

  • Antineoplastic Agents
  • Organometallic Compounds
  • Ruthenium Compounds
  • imidazolium-bis(imidazole)dimethylsulfoxideimidazotetrachlororuthenate(III)
  • Ruthenium
  • Dimethyl Sulfoxide