Two novel compounds of vanadium and molybdenum with carnitine exhibiting potential pharmacological use

• Two novel compounds with vanadium and molybdenum with carnitine were synthesized.
• The decavanadate compound was fully characterized by X-ray crystallography.
• The molybdenum complex exhibits low cytotoxicity.
• The decavanadate compound exhibits dose-dependent toxicity and cancer specificity.

The reaction of sodium orthovanadate with carnitine hydrochloride molecule results in the precipitation of decavanadate compound of carnitine whereas the reaction of metallic molybdenum with hydrogen peroxide and carnitine results in the peroxo-molybdenum complex of carnitine. The decavanadate compound as well as the molybdenum complex of carnitine have been characterized by means of elemental analysis, IR, electronic spectra, 1H NMR, 2D-COSY-NMR (= correlation spectroscopy) and thermo-gravimetric analysis (TGA). In addition decavanadate compound of carnitine was fully characterized by X-ray crystallography. The analytical data were in good agreement with the empirical formulae of both, decavanadate compound and molybdenum complex. The two compounds were also evaluated for cell toxicity and their anticancer activity by the MTT(3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide)-based assay method, using primary cells and tumor cell lines of both human and murine origins and the results show that compound 1 shows an increased biological activity in comparison with compound 2. Moreover using confocal microscopy and antibodies against cleaved caspase 3 we further analyzed the cell toxicity and we conclude that the apoptotic pathway is triggered efficiently with tumor specificity by compound 1 and not by compound 2.

Two novel compounds of carnitine with molybdenum and decavanadate, were synthesized and characterized by means of elemental analysis, IR, electronic spectra, 1H NMR, and TGA. A decavanadate compound was fully characterized by X-ray crystallography. Both compounds were evaluated for cell toxicity using primary cells and tumor cell lines. Only the decavanadate compound exhibited specific anti cancer activity.Figure optionsDownload as PowerPoint slide