| Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1321589 | Journal of Organometallic Chemistry | 2016 | 9 Pages |
•New Ru and Rh complexes containing o-sulfonamide azobenzene ligands have been synthesized.•“Three-legged piano-stool” configuration of Ru and Rh complexes has been confirmed by single crystal X-ray structure diffraction analysis.•Photoisomerization of all complexes have been investigated.•The cytotoxicity of the complexes against four cancer cell lines was evaluated.•Cancer cell apoptosis has been investigated with western blotting and flow cytometric analyses.
A new series of arene chlorido ruthenium and pentamethylcyclopentadienyl chlorido rhodium complexes containing o-sulfonamide azobenzene ligands with an exocyclic NN bond coordination pattern have been synthesized. These complexes undergo readily E→Z photoisomerization followed by thermal Z→E isomerization (upon resting in the dark). The ruthenium complexes showed low-micromole-ranged cytotoxicity towards a panel of cancer cells. Western blotting and flow cytometric analyses suggest that 1) they are potent apoptotic inducers for cancer cells, probably through a caspase-3 dependent apoptotic pathway, and that 2) they have a much stronger ability to induce HeLa cancer cell apoptosis than cisplatin, a commercial anticancer drug.
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