A Cu(II) complex of 2-hydroxyphenyl-azo-2â²-naphthol (HPAN) having the formula CuII(HPAN)2 was characterized by different techniques. When HPAN and CuII(HPAN)2 were incubated for 24 hours with human T-acute lymphoblastic leukemia (MOLT-4) cells, almost no activity was observed for HPAN while the complex was active. When incubated for 48 hours, HPAN showed cell death of â¼35% at a concentration of 40 μM while CuII(HPAN)2 was only slightly better than when incubated for 24 hours. Therefore, irrespective of incubation time, the anti-proliferative activity due to CuII(HPAN)2 was similar. However, increase in incubation time did show increased activity for HPAN. Anti-leukemic potential was confirmed by microscopic analysis of cell viability by trypan blue stain and MTT assay. The BrdU assay further confirmed proliferative effects of aqueous Cu(II)/HPAN and anti-proliferative effects of Cu(II)(HPAN)2. Propidium iodide staining of Cu(II)(HPAN)2-treated MOLT-4 cells confirmed apoptosis. Since amines formed as a consequence of reduction of the azo bond are reported to be cytotoxic, we performed an enzyme assay to understand the relative reduction of the azo bond in both compounds. Results suggest reduction of the azo bond was slightly higher for HPAN. DNA binding of CuII(HPAN)2 using fluorescence spectroscopy was compared with that of HPAN to determine the propensity of biological activity. The results being similar, binding of the compounds with DNA and the ease of reduction of the azo bond were not able to explain why CuII(HPAN)2 was better in preventing cell proliferation. The high anti-proliferative activity of CuII(HPAN)2 was attributed to increased cellular uptake. We designed experiments to support this hypothesis using independent approaches. In one, Cu(II) was identified in cell lysates using ferrocyanide, while, in another, CuII(HPAN)2 was detected using flow cytometry. We chose Cu(II) as the metal ion for this work because of its recognized involvement in cancer. Being essential for angiogenesis, it is found in increased levels in cancer cells. Interaction of Cu(II)(aq) with MOLT-4 cells confirmed this as a part of this study also. Hence, our objective was to see if molecules like HPAN that bind Cu(II) could lead to its role reversal, i.e. from supporting the growth of cancer cells to be able to destroy them as CuII(HPAN)2.
一种 2-hydroxyphenyl-azo-2â²-naphthol (H
PAN) 的 Cu(II) 复合物通过不同的技术进行了表征,其
化学式为 CuII(H
PAN)2。将 H
PAN 和 CuII(H
PAN)2 与人类 T 型急性淋巴细胞白血病(MOLT-4)
细胞培养 24 小时后,几乎观察不到 H
PAN 的活性,而复合物却具有活性。培养 48 小时后,当浓度为 40 ¼M 时,H
PAN 的
细胞死亡率为 35%,而 CuII(H
PAN)2 的活性仅略高于培养 24 小时的结果。因此,无论培养时间长短,CuII(H
PAN)2 的抗增殖活性都是相似的。然而,孵育时间的延长确实增加了 H
PAN 的活性。通过胰蓝染色和 M
TT 试验对细胞存活率进行显微分析,证实了抗白血病的潜力。BrdU测定进一步证实了Cu(II)/H
PAN水溶液的增殖作用和Cu(II)(H
PAN)2的抗增殖作用。Cu(II)(H
PAN)2 处理过的 MOLT-4 细胞的
碘化丙啶染色证实了细胞凋亡。据报道,偶氮键还原形成的胺具有细胞毒性,因此我们进行了酶测定,以了解这两种化合物中偶氮键的相对还原情况。结果表明,H
PAN 的偶氮键还原程度略高。我们利用荧光光谱比较了 CuII(H
PAN)2 与 H
PAN 的 DNA 结合情况,以确定
生物活性的倾向。结果相似,化合物与 DNA 的结合以及偶氮键还原的难易程度并不能解释为什么 CuII(H
PAN)2 能更好地防止细胞增殖。CuII(H
PAN)2 的高抗增殖活性归因于细胞摄取量的增加。我们设计了不同的实验来支持这一假设。其中一个实验使用亚
铁氰化钾鉴定细胞裂解物中的 Cu(II),而另一个实验则使用流式细胞仪检测 CuII(H
PAN)2。我们选择 Cu(II)作为这项研究的
金属离子,是因为它被公认与癌症有关。Cu(II)对血管生成至关重要,因此在癌细胞中的含量会增加。Cu(II)(aq) 与 MOLT-4 细胞的相互作用也证实了这一点。因此,我们的目标是研究 H
PAN 等与 Cu(II) 结合的分子是否会导致 Cu(II) 的作用发生逆转,即从支持癌细胞生长转变为能够像 CuII(H
PAN)2 一样摧毁癌细胞。