Crystal structure, cytotoxicity and action mechanism of Zn(II)/Mn(II) complexes with isoquinoline ligands

Four μ2-Cl bridged dinuclear Zn(II)/Mn(II) complexes with isoquinoline derivatives were synthesized and exhibited high cytotoxicity against various tumor cells with certain selectivity to tumor and normal cells, which induced intrinsic pathways-dependent apoptosis in cancer cells by triggering DNA damage which was caused by the reactive oxygen species (ROS) overproduction.83