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New dinuclear gold(III) complex with 1,5-naphthyridine as bridging ligand: synthesis, characterization, DNA/BSA binding studies, and anticancer activity

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Abstract

To elucidate an antitumor drug exhibiting enhanced activity relative to cisplatin, a novel dinuclear gold(III) complex was synthesized, incorporating 1,5-naphthyridine as a bridging ligand. Subsequently, the newly synthesized complex underwent comprehensive characterization using various techniques to validate its structural attributes. The stability of the complex in both water and PBS buffer was assessed through UV–Vis spectroscopy. DNA binding studies were conducted employing UV–Vis, fluorescence spectroscopy, and viscosity measurements. Competitive studies with ethidium bromide (EB) or 4′-hydroxyethidium (HOE) were performed utilizing fluorescence spectroscopy. The findings indicated that the dinuclear gold(III) complex interacts with calf thymus DNA (CT-DNA) through a groove binding mode. Moreover, the investigated complex exhibited significant binding constants for its interaction with human serum albumin (HSA) and bovine serum albumin (BSA) and interactions in the presence of site markers (eosin Y or ibuprofen). The dinuclear gold(III) complex demonstrated notable cytotoxicity against HCT116 and MDA-MB-231 cancer cell lines at 24 and 72 h post-treatment. Furthermore, the complex displayed selectivity by inducing significantly lower cytotoxic activity in healthy cells than in cancerous ones. In support of its antitumor activity, the complex exhibited proapoptotic effects, as evidenced by increased caspase 9 activity and low percentages of necrosis. Molecular docking simulations were employed to corroborate all experimentally obtained results.

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Data availability

The datasets used and analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author upon request.

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Acknowledgements

The authors are grateful to the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development of the Republic of Serbia (Agreement No. 451-03-66/2024-03/200122, 451-03-57/2023-03/293, and 451-03-65/2024-03/200122).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Kragujevac, Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Radoja Domanovića 12, 34000, Kragujevac, Serbia

    Snežana Radisavljević, Dušan Ćoćić & Biljana Petrović

  2. Department of Chemistry, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (LMU), 81377, Munich, Germany

    Ina Kellner & Ivana Ivanović-Burmazović

  3. University of Kragujevac, Department of Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Science, Radoja Domanovića 12, 34000, Kragujevac, Serbia

    Nikola Radenković, Danijela Nikodijević & Milena Milutinović

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  1. Snežana Radisavljević
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S.R. Investigation; methodology; validation; wrote the main manuscript text; prepared all figures. D.Ć. Investigation, software. B.P. Data curation; investigation; supervision; validation. I.K. Investigation; supervision. I.I.B. Investigation; supervision. N.R. Investigation; methodology. D.N. Investigation; methodology. M.M. Investigation; methodology. All authors reviewed the manuscript

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Correspondence to Snežana Radisavljević.

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Radisavljević, S., Ćoćić, D., Petrović, B. et al. New dinuclear gold(III) complex with 1,5-naphthyridine as bridging ligand: synthesis, characterization, DNA/BSA binding studies, and anticancer activity. Gold Bull (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13404-024-00344-8

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