Potential anticancer applications of the novel naringin-based ruthenium (II) complex

Abstract

Ruthenium seems to be a promising alternative to platinum because of the wide range of oxidation states it has and its ability to form complexes with bioactive ligands. In this study, naringin, a naturally occurring flavonoid, was used to synthesize a novel ruthenium complex with potential anticancer activity. The characterization of the synthesized complex was done by UV–Vis spectroscopy, FTIR and NMR studies. In addition, the complex was tested against Human A549 cell lines to determine the anticancer effect, and against human dermal fibroblasts (HDFa) to find any underlying toxicity. Further, the morphological changes of the cancer cells can be determined by using bio-atomic force microscopy. Results showed that the synthesized complex was able to induce anticancer effects against A549 with minimal impact to HDFa. In this study, we investigated the anticancer properties of naringin-ruthenium (II) complex using live- and dead-cell staining assay, MTT, Trypan blue, and lactate dehydrogenase assay. Further, morphological changes were observed in the A549 cells using Bio-AFM. The Bio-AFM results have proven the better cytotoxic behavior of naringin-ruthenium (II) complex. The cell viability results also provided the anticancer efficacy of the complex.