The cytotoxic effect of copper (II) complexes with halogenated 1,3-disubstituted arylthioureas on cancer and bacterial cells

A series of eight copper (II) complexes with 3-(4-chloro-3-nitrophenyl)thiourea were designed and synthesized. The cytotoxic activity of all compounds was assessed in three human cancer cell lines (SW480, SW620, PC3) and human normal keratinocytes (HaCaT). The complexes 1, 3, 5, 7 and 8 were cytotoxic to the studied tumor cells in the low micromolar range, without affecting the normal cells. The complexes 1, 3, 7 and 8 induced lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release in all cancer cell lines, but not in the HaCaT cells. They provoked early apoptosis in pathological cells, especially in SW480 and PC3 cells. The ability of compounds 1, 3, 7 and 8 to diminish interleukin-6 (IL-6) concentration in a cell was established. For the first time, the influence of the most promising Cu (II) complexes on intensities of detoxifying and reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenging the enzymes of tumor cells was studied. The cytotoxic effect of all copper (II) conjugates against standard and hospital bacterial strains was also proved

Synthesis, structural studies and biological activity of novel Cu(II) complexes with thiourea derivatives of 4-azatricyclo[5.2.1.02,6]dec-8-ene-3,5-dione.

The new Cu(II) complexes of 1/2/3-(bromophenyl)-3-(1,7,8,9-tetramethyl-3,5-dioxo-4-azatricyclo[5.2.1.02,6]dec-8-en-4-yl)thiourea derivatives have been synthesized. The spectroscopic studies together with density functional theory calculations of Cu(II) complexes revealed that two parent ligands coordinate to the copper cation in bidentate fashion via thiocarbonyl S and deprotonated N atoms forming rarely observed four-membered chelate ring, with nearly planar [CuN2S2] moiety. In solid state, the mononuclear complex is formed for thiourea derivative with 3-bromophenyl, whereas for Cu(II) connection with 2- and 4-bromophenyl-thioureas the formation of dinuclear complexes is observed, the latter formed by the stacking of mononuclear complexes. The microbiological activity of novel compounds has been evaluated. The Cu(II) complex with 4-bromophenyl ring connected to the thiourea moiety showed significant inhibition against standard strains of S. aureus and S. epidermidis. The range of minimal inhibitory concentration values is 2–4 μg/mL. That compound exhibited antibiofilm potency and effectively inhibited the formation of biofilm of methicillin-susceptive strain of S. epidermidis ATCC 12228. Moreover, the cytotoxicity against the MT-4 cells of all obtained complexes has been evaluated. The complexes turned out to be non-cytotoxic for exponentially growing MT-4

Synthesis, Structural Characterization and Biological Activity Evaluation of Novel Cu(II) Complexes with 3-(trifluoromethyl)phenylthiourea Derivatives

Copper complexes with 1,3-disubstituted thiourea derivatives, all containing 3-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl tail and 1-alkyl/halogen-phenyl substituent, were synthesized. The experimental spectroscopic studies and theoretical calculation revealed that two ligands coordinate to Cu(II) in a bidentate fashion via thiocarbonyl S and deprotonated N atoms of thiourea moiety. Such monomers are characteristic of alkylphenylthiourea complexes, whereas the formation of a sandwich-type dimer is observed for halogeno derivatives. For the first time, the structural identifications of CuN2S2-based complexes using experimental and theoretical X-ray absorption near edge structure are demonstrated. The dimeric halogeno derivatives showed higher antimicrobial activity in comparison with alkylphenylthiourea complexes. The Cu(II) complex of 1-(4-chloro-3-nitrophenyl)-3-[3-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl]thiourea was active against 19 strains of methicillin-resistant Staphylococci (MIC = 2 µg/mL). This derivative acted as a dual inhibitor of DNA gyrase and topoisomerase IV isolated from Staphylococcus aureus. Additionally, complexes of halogenphenylthiourea strongly inhibited the growth of mycobacteria isolated from tuberculosis patients, even fourfold stronger than the reference isoniazid. The complexes exerted weak to moderate antitumor activity (towards SW480, SW620, and PC3) being non-toxic towards normal HaCaT cells