Synthesis, characterization and anticancer activities of two lanthanide(III) complexes with a nicotinohydrazone ligand

• Two isostructural acylhydrazone based lanthanide(III) complexes have been obtained.
• The two lanthanide(III) complexes show significant biological activities.
• Annexin V/PI staining and flow cytometric measurements quantify the distinct apoptosis to the cancer cells.

Two isostructural acylhydrazone based complexes, namely [Ce(penh)2(H2O)4](NO3)3·4H2O (1) and [Sm(penh)2(NO3)2](NO3)·C2H5OH (2) (penh = 2-acetylpyridine nicotinohydrazone), have been obtained and characterized by physico-chemical and spectroscopic methods. The ten-coordinated lanthanide metal ion in each complex is surrounded by two independent tridentate neutral acylhydrazones with two ON2 donor sets. The other four coordination oxygen atoms are from four water molecules and two bidentate nitrate anions for complexes 1 and 2, respectively, thus giving distorted bicapped square antiprism geometry. Both complexes have excellent antitumor activity towards human pancreatic cancer (PATU8988), human colorectal cancer (lovo) and human gastric cancer(SGC7901) cell line. Furthermore, the cell apoptosis of complex 1 is detected by AnnexinV/PI flow cytometry.

Two isostructural acylhydrazone based lanthanide(III) complexes have been obtained and the biological activities of them are investigated by MTT assay and AnnexinV/PI flow cytometry.Figure optionsDownload as PowerPoint slide