Cyclooxygenase-2 Inhibition Restored Endothelium-Mediated Relaxation in Old Obese Zucker Rat Mesenteric Arteries

Metabolic syndrome is associated with reduced endothelial vasodilator function. It is also associated with the induction of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX2), which produces vasoactive prostanoids. The frequency of metabolic syndrome increases with age and aging per se is a risk factor associated with reduced endothelium-mediated relaxation. Nevertheless, the combined effect of aging and metabolic syndrome on the endothelium is less known. We hypothesized that COX2 derived prostanoids may affect endothelium function in metabolic syndrome associated with aging. We used obese Zucker rats, a model of metabolic syndrome. First order mesenteric arteries were isolated from 4- and 12-month-old rats and acetylcholine (endothelium)-dependent relaxation determined using wire-myography. Endothelium-mediated relaxation, impaired in young Zucker rats (89 versus 77% maximal relaxation; lean versus Zucker), was further reduced in old Zucker rats (72 versus 51%, lean versus Zucker). The effect of the nitric oxide-synthesis inhibitor L-NAME on the relaxation was reduced in both young and old Zucker rats without change in eNOS expression level. COX inhibition (indomethacin) improved acetylcholine-mediated relaxation in old obese rats only, suggesting involvement of vasoconstrictor prostanoids. In addition, COX2 inhibition (NS398) and TxA2/PGH2 receptor blockade (SQ29548) both improved relaxation in old Zucker rat arteries. Old Zucker rats had the highest TxB2 (TxA2 metabolite) blood level associated with increased COX2 immunostaining. Chronic COX2 blockade (Celecoxib, 3 weeks) restored endothelium-dependent relaxation in old Zucker rats to the level observed in old lean rats. Thus the combination of aging and metabolic syndrome further impairs endothelium-dependent relaxation by inducing an excessive production of COX2-derived vasoconstrictor(s); possibly TxA2

A rhenium tris-carbonyl derivative as a single core multimodal probe for imaging (SCoMPI) combining infrared and luminescent properties.

International audienceA rhenium tris-carbonyl derivative has been designed to couple infrared and luminescent detection in cells. Both spectroscopies are consistent with one another; they point out the reliability of the present SCoMPI (for Single Core Multimodal Probe for Imaging) for bimodal imaging and unambiguously indicate a localization at the Golgi apparatus in MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells

A [3]Ferrocenophane polyphenol showing a remarkable antiproliferative activity on breast and prostate cancer cell lines

International audienc

In Utero Exposure to Maternal Diabetes Impairs Vascular Expression of Prostacyclin Receptor in Rat Offspring

International audienc

Designing organometallic compounds for catalysis and therapy

Bioorganometallic chemistry is a rapidly developing area of research. In recent years organometallic compounds have provided a rich platform for the design of effective catalysts, e.g. for olefin metathesis and transfer hydrogenation. Electronic and steric effects are used to control both the thermodynamics and kinetics of ligand substitution and redox reactions of metal ions, especially Ru II. Can similar features be incorporated into the design of targeted organometallic drugs? Such complexes offer potential for novel mechanisms of drug action through incorporation of outer-sphere recognition of targets and controlled activation features based on ligand substitution as well as metal- and ligand-based redox processes. We focus here on η 6-arene, η 5-cyclopentadienyl sandwich and half-sandwich complexes of Fe II, Ru II, Os II and Ir III with promising activity towards cancer, malaria, and other conditions. © 2012 The Royal Society of Chemistry

Using titanium complexes to defeat cancer: the view from the shoulders of titans

When the first titanium complex with anticancer activity was identified in the 1970s, it was attractive, based on the presence of the dichloride unit in TiCl2Cp2 (Cp = η-C5H5)2, to assume its mode of biological action was closely aligned with cisplatin [cis-PtCl2(NH3)2]. Over the intervening 40 years however a far more complicated picture has arisen indicating multiple cellular mechanisms of cellular action can be triggered by titanium anti-cancer agents. This tutorial review aims to unpick the historical data and provide new researchers, without an explicit cancer biology background, a contemporary interpretation of both older and newer literature and to review the best techniques for attaining the identities of the biologically active titanium species and how these interact with the cancer cellular machinery

Atypical McMurry Cross-Coupling Reactions Leading to a New Series of Potent Antiproliferative Compounds Bearing the Key [Ferrocenyl-Ene-Phenol] Motif

In the course of the preparation of a series of ferrocenyl derivatives of diethylstilbestrol (DES), in which one of the 4-hydroxyphenyl moieties was replaced by a ferrocenyl group, the McMurry reaction of chloropropionylferrocene with a number of mono-aryl ketones unexpectedly yielded the hydroxylated ferrocenyl DES derivatives, 5a–c, in poor yields (10%–16%). These compounds showed high activity on the hormone-independent breast cancer cell line MDA-MB-231 with IC50 values ranging from 0.14 to 0.36 µM. Surprisingly, non-hydroxylated ferrocenyl DES, 4, showed only an IC50 value of 1.14 µM, illustrating the importance of the hydroxyethyl function in this promising new series. For comparison, McMurry reactions of the shorter chain analogue chloroacetylferrocene were carried out to see the difference in behaviour with mono-aryl ketones versus a diaryl ketone. The effect of changing the length of the alkyl chain adjacent to the phenolic substituent of the hydroxylated ferrocenyl DES was studied, a mechanistic rationale to account for the unexpected products is proposed, and the antiproliferative activities of all of these compounds on MDA-MB-231 cells lines were measured and compared. X-ray crystal structures of cross-coupled products and of pinacol-pinacolone rearrangements are reported.The authors wish to thank P. Herson and J. Vaissermann for three crystal structure determinations and T. Cresteil for IC50 determinations. We thank Anh N’Guyen for full discussions. K.K.’s stay in Paris was supported through an European Community Marie Curie Fellowship (HMPT-CT-2000- 00186). We thank the Agence Nationale de la Recherche for financial support (ANR 2010 BLAN 7061 blanc “Mecaferrol”) and the Ministère des Affaires Etrangères for a doctoral fellowship (M.G.)

Precious metal carborane polymer nanoparticles: characterisation of micellar formulations and anticancer activity

YesWe report the encapsulation of highly hydrophobic 16-electron organometallic ruthenium and osmium carborane complexes [Ru/Os(p-cymene)(1,2-dicarba-closo-dodecarborane-1,2-dithiolate)] (1 and 2) in Pluronic® triblock copolymer P123 core–shell micelles. The spherical nanoparticles RuMs and OsMs, dispersed in water, were characterized by dynamic light scattering (DLS), cryogenic transmission electron microscopy (cryo-TEM), and synchrotron small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS; diameter ca. 15 and 19 nm, respectively). Complexes 1 and 2 were highly active towards A2780 human ovarian cancer cells (IC50 0.17 and 2.50 μM, respectively) and the encapsulated complexes, as RuMs and OsMs nanoparticles, were less potent (IC50 6.69 μM and 117.5 μM, respectively), but more selective towards cancer cells compared to normal cells.We thank the Leverhulme Trust (Early Career Fellowship no. ECF-2013-414 to NPEB), the University of Warwick (Grant no. RDF 2013-14 to NPEB), the Swiss National Science Foundation (Grant no. PA00P2_145308 to NPEB and PBNEP2_142949 to APB), the ERC (Grant no. 247450 to PJS), EPSRC (EP/G004897/ 1 to APB, and EP/F034210/1 to PJS), Institute of Advanced Study (IAS) – University of Warwick (Fellowship to JJSB), and Science City (AWM/ERDF) for support. We thank the Wellcome Trust (055663/Z/98/Z) for funding to the Electron Microscopy Facility, School of Life Sciences, University of Warwick

Arene ruthenium dithiolato-carborane complexes for boron neutron capture theory (BNCT)

YesWe report the effect of low-energy thermal neutron irradiation on the antiproliferative activities of a highly hydrophobic organometallic arene ruthenium dithiolatoecarborane complex [Ru(p-cymene) (1,2- dicarba-closo-dodecarborane-1,2-dithiolato)] (1), and of its formulation in Pluronic® triblock copolymer P123 coreeshell micelles (RuMs). Complex 1 was highly active, with and without neutron irradiation, towards human ovarian cancer cells (A2780; IC50 0.14 mM and 0.17 mM, respectively) and cisplatinresistant human ovarian cancer cells (A2780cisR; IC50 0.05 and 0.13 mM, respectively). Complex 1 was particularly sensitive to neutron irradiation in A2780cisR cells (2.6 more potent after irradiation compared to non-irradiation). Although less potent, the encapsulated complex 1 as RuMs nanoparticles resulted in higher cellular accumulation (2.5 ), and was sensitive to neutron irradiation in A2780 cells (1.4 more potent upon irradiation compared to non-irradiation).We thank the Leverhulme Trust (Early Career Fellowship No. ECF-2013-414 to NPEB), the University of Warwick (Grant No. RD14102 to NPEB), the University of Birmingham/EPSRC Follow-on- Fund (Grant No UOBFOF026 to BP), the ERC (Grant No. 247450 to PJS), EPSRC (EP/F034210/1 to PJS)

CHAPTER 3. Iron Compounds as Anticancer Agents

International audienc