A novel Ru-based anticancer agent was developed for the treatment of triple negative breast cancer via combination of cytotoxic and anti-metastatic activities within a single molecular platform.
Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) is an aggressive breast cancer subtype with high metastatic potential and limited treatment options. Herein, we developed a dual-function anticancer agent RuSPDTC ([Ru 2 (μ-N)(NH 3 ) 8 (S 2 CN(CH 2 ) 4 )] 3+ ) by attaching the cytotoxic pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate (PDTC) ligand to the mitochondrial calcium uniporter (MCU) inhibitor Ru265 ([Ru 2 (μ-N)(NH 3 ) 8 Cl 2 ] 3+ ). RuSPDTC combines the anti-metastatic activity of MCU inhibition with PDTC-mediated cytotoxicity within a single molecular platform. RuSPDTC was synthesized and characterized by multinuclear NMR spectroscopy, HR-ESI-MS, FTIR spectroscopy, UV-vis spectroscopy, and single-crystal X-ray diffraction. The 13 C resonance of the CS 2 group showed an upfield shift of the coordinated PDTC...