The search for new specific chemotherapeutic drugs designed to minimize the toxic side effects
resulting from chemotherapy is still a subject of intense research. The objective of the current
study was to design a non-steroidal-platinum(II) derivative that would target the estrogen receptor alpha
(ERα) without triggering estrogenic cell proliferation. For this purpose, the amino acid L-tyrosine
was modified and attached to a cisplatin analog. Hence, the L-tyrosine portion of the molecule could
possibly act as a transporter to target the ER#945; protein and, by doing so concentrate the cytotoxic moiety
to hormone-dependent breast cancer cells. Herein, we describe three different alternative methodologies
that were used to make these new anticancer molecules. The L-tyrosine-Pt(II) hybrid 5b was made in four steps
with 36% overall yield by the first method, in six steps with 11% overall yield by the second method and, in four steps
with 23% overall yield by the third method. Preliminary biological activity on breast cancer cell lines indicated that the final
hybrids (5a and 5b) were unfortunately inactive but their platinum(II) precursors (14a and 14b) showed activity similar
to that of cisplatin.