Anticancer potential of Ru(II) Schiff base complexes derived from picolinaldehyde and pyrazolyl amines: structural characterization and selective cytotoxicity toward SiHa cells
subject: anticancer activity; Ru(II) complexes; Schiff base; SiHa, 3T3-L1 cell lines
description: Herein, we report the synthesis, complete structural characterization including spectroscopic and computational analyses, and in vitro anticancer efficacy assessment of three Ru(II) complexes against cervical carcinoma (SiHa) cell lines. Various spectroscopic techniques such as FTIR, 1H NMR, 13C NMR, 19F NMR and ESI-LCMS mass spectrometry were used to thoroughly characterize the synthesized ligands and the complexes. Density Functional Theory (DFT) calculations provided insights into their optimized geometry and electronic parameters, which were consistent with experimental observations. The cytotoxicity of three Ru(II) complexes was evaluated against SiHa and normal fibroblast (3T3-L1) cells using MTT assays at concentrations of 10100 g/mL for 2472 h, with 20 g/mL used for detailed temporal evaluation. All complexes showed strong, dose and time dependent cytotoxicity, reducing SiHa cell viability to 24 4%, 23 6%, and 33 5% respectively for complex 1, 2 and 3 after 72 h, while maintaining >90% viability in fibroblasts. The IC?? values for complex 1, 2 and 3 (8.7 2.5, 8.4 2.3, and 7.8 1.5 g/mL) confirmed high potency and selectivity. Acridine orange and ethidium bromide (AO/EB) staining indicated apoptosis as the main cell death pathway, supported by morphological changes such as membrane blebbing and rounding. The DNA binding studies reveal that all the complexes have strong affinity toward DNA and interacted through intercalation mode. These findings highlight the complexes as selective and promising anticancer agents. 2025 Elsevier B.V.
creator: Bhunya, Debasis; Datta, Riya; Maity, Swapan; Maity, Tithi; Samanta, Bidhan Chandra
source: Journal of Molecular Structure;Volume;1356;Issue;;Article No.;145138;
publisher: Elsevier B.V.
date: 01-01-2026
rights: Restricted Access; Hardcopy may be available in the library
relation: ISSN: 222860; CODEN: JMOSB
format: online
language: English
type: Article
coverage: Bhunya D., Department of Chemistry, Christ University, Hosur Road, Karnataka, Bengaluru, 560029, India; Datta R., Department of Chemistry, Christ University, Hosur Road, Karnataka, Bengaluru, 560029, India; Maity S., School of Materials Science and Technology, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), BHU, Varanasi, India; Maity T., Department of Chemistry, Prabhat Kumar College, Contai, West Bengal, Purba Medinipur, India; Samanta B.C., Department of Chemistry, Mugberia Gangadhar Mahavidyalaya, Bhupatinagar, West Bengal, Purba Medinipur, India