Zinc(II)-Naphthoquinone Complexes: Exploring Their Potential for Biological Applications

The development of new metal complexes as chemotherapeutic agents has emerged as a promising alternative to currently used drugs. Lawsone (2-hydroxy-1,4-naphthoquinone) is a substance exhibits a wide range of biological properties, including antiviral, antibacterial, antiparasitic, and anticancer potential. New zinc complexes were synthesized containing lawsone (law) and N,N-heterocyclic as ligands, the complexes were characterized by various spectroscopic techniques and x-ray crystallography and the interaction with CT-DNA and HSA was evaluated. Also the cytotoxic activity of the complexes, free ligands, and cisplatin was investigated in tumor cell lines, as well as in non-tumor cells. Cell migration assays demonstrated that the complex act by inhibiting the cell migration process, and cell morphology analyses showed that the complexes are capable of inducing changes in cell size, shape, and structure. In this context, the complexes demonstrate potential for the development of new anticancer drugs.