Synthesis, characterization and preliminary anticancer studies of new Ru(II)-mercaptobenzimidazole complexes

Metal-based compounds currently used in chemotherapy have limited use due to their several side effects. To overcome this limitation, the combination of ruthenium center with phosphine and mercapto ligands has been used to produce cytotoxic agents with enhanced anticancer properties. In this work, four novel Ru(II)-phosphine/mercapto complexes with general formula [Ru(MBI)(P–P)(N–N)]PF₆ (Ru1–Ru4) were studied.
The structures of these complexes were confirmed by several techniques such as 31P{1H} NMR, HR-MS, and IR, including the determination of the solid structure for Ru3. The redox behavior of these complexes was investigated via cyclic voltammetry in DCM. The purity of these species was confirmed by elemental analysis, their stability was indicated in DMSO and DMSO/culture medium. Preliminary in vitro screening indicated these species as cytotoxic agents in different human cells, with emphasis on Ru3.