Constance Elizabeth Jansen van Rensburg

A cytotoxic bis(carbene)gold(I) complex of ferrocenyl complexes: Synthesis and structural characterisation

The N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) precursors 1-[(E)-2-butenyl]-3-(4-ferrocenylphenyl)imidazolium bromide (2) and 1-[(E)-2-butenyl]-3-(4-ferrocenylphenyl)imidazolium tetrafluoroborate (3) were derived from 1-(4-ferrocenylphenyl)imidazole. Ferrocenyl complex 3 reacts with Ag2O and chloro(dimethylsulfide)gold(I) in the presence of tetraethylammonium chloride to produce the mixed metal species bis{1-[(E)-2-butenyl]-3-(4-ferrocenylphenyl)-2H-imidazol-2-ylidene}gold(I) tetrafluoroborate (4). Single crystal X-ray structure analyses of 1, 3 and 4 indicate that the NCHN-hydrogen in 3 is hydrogen bonded to the BF4− anion [C(H1)⋯F, 3.265(4) A], as is also reflected in the position of its 1H NMR chemical shift. Cytotoxicity studies show that complex 4 is selective for cancer cells and active against the tumour cell lines Jurkat and MCF 7.

Tetramethylpiperidine-substituted phenazines as novel anti-plasmodial agents

Two novel derivatives of clofazimine [3‐(p‐chloroanilino)‐10‐(p‐chlorophenyl)‐2,10‐dihydro‐2‐isopropylimino)phenazine] and the tetramethylpiperidine (TMP)‐substituted phenazines, B4119 [3‐(3‐chloro‐4‐fluoroanilino)‐10‐(3‐chloro‐4‐fluorophenyl)‐2,10‐dihydro‐2(2,2,6,6‐tetramethylpiper‐4‐ylimino)phenazine] and B4158 [3‐(4‐isopropylanilino)‐10‐(4‐isopropylphenyl)‐2,10‐dihydro‐2‐(2,2,6,6‐tetramethylpiper‐4‐ylimino)phenazine] (1–8 μM), were evaluated for activity against chloroquin‐, quinine‐, and sulfadoxine/pyrimethamine‐sensitive and ‐resistant strains of Plasmodium falciparum in vitro, as well as for their effects on polymerisation of haeme to β‐hematin. By using microscopic and flow cytometric methods, it was found that B4119 and B4158, but not clofazimine, inhibited the growth of sensitive, as well as resistant strains of P. falciparum with IC50 values between 0.22 and 0.7 μM, indicating lack of cross‐resistance. Augmentation of anti‐plasmodial activity was observed when B4119 and B4158 were used in combination with chloroquin or mefloquine. Inhibition of the growth of P. falciparum was associated with interference with haeme polymerisation to β‐hematin in vitro, while administration of B4119 to P. berghei‐infected mice was accompanied by a significant reduction in parasitemia and improved therapeutic activity was observed when this agent was combined with chloroquin. The data presented in this study demonstrate that the TMP‐substitution at position 2 on the phenazine nucleus of riminophenazines confers anti‐plasmodial activity on these compounds. These may prove to be useful forerunners in the design of novel anti‐plasmodial pharmacologic agents. Drug Dev. Res. 50:195–202, 2000.

Antineoplastic activity of polyaspartamide–ferrocene conjugates †

The ferrocene/ferricenium redox system plays a significant role in biological oxidation, reduction and free-radical reactions. Of particular interest are the findings of earlier investigations which showed certain water-soluble ferricenium salts to possess appreciable antiproliferative activity against various murine tumor lines and a xenografted human colorectal adenocarcinoma. Solubility in water, a prerequisite for efficacious transport and dissipation in central circulation, was then proposed as a principal requirement for the ferrocene complex system to exert antineoplastic activity irrespective of the oxidation state in which it is administered. In order to shed more light on this question, we decided to investigate the antiproliferative properties of polymer–ferrocene conjugates containing the metal complex in the non-oxidized (ferrocene) form while fulfilling the critical requirement of water solubility. To this end, five selected, water-soluble conjugates, synthesized by reversible coupling of 4-ferrocenylbutanoic acid to variously structured polyaspartamides featuring pendant primary amino groups as coupling sites, were tested in vitro against cultured HeLa cells at concentrations up to 50 µg Fe ml−1. Optimal antiproliferative activities, with IC50 in the range of 2–7 µg Fe ml−1, were determined for three compounds possessing tertiary-amine functions susceptible to protonation at physiological pH. Lower activities (IC50 = 45–60 µg Fe ml−1) were demonstrated for two poly(ethylene oxide)-containing conjugates. However, no reasonable structure–performance relationships can be derived at this stage from the small number of compounds tested. Copyright

Investigation of the Immunostimulatory Properties of Oxihumate

A unique process has been developed to convert bituminous coal by controlled wet oxidation followed by base treatment to a water-soluble humate called oxihumate. The effects of oxihumate on the proliferative response of lymphocytes has been studied in vitro and ex vivo. Oxihumate increased the proliferative response of phytohaemagglutinin-stimulated human lymphocytes, from a concentration of 20 μg/ml and upwards. This response was even more striking in the case of lymphocytes from HIV-infected patients and was not limited to the in vitro setting since similar effects were observed ex vivo following administration of a nontoxic dosage of 4 g oxihumate per day to HIV-positive individuals for two weeks. Mechanistic studies revealed that stimulation of the proliferative response of lymphocytes by oxihumate is associated with an increased production of IL-2, as well as expression of the IL-2 receptor in the setting of decreased production of IL-10. Oxihumate therefore holds promise for the treatment of immunocompromized patients.

An in vitro investigation of the anti-inflammatory properties of potassium humate.

In this study the anti-inflammatory potential of potassium humate, derived from bituminous coal, has been investigated in vitro. Exposure of resting and phorbol-12-myristate-13-acetate (PMA) stimulated human neutrophils to potassium humate resulted in a decreased expression of CR3 by activated, but not resting cells, in a dose-related way. Humate also inhibited the adhesion of PMA-stimulated neutrophils to a baby hamster kidney cell line expressing ICAM1 (the CR3 ligand) (BHK331-7). Similar results were obtained using normal BHK cells indicating that this inhibition does not only target specific adhesion molecules on the neutrophil and eosinophil membrane by activated phagocytes, but also affects other mechanisms involved in cell adhesion. Opsonised Sephadex or FMLP/Cyto B-induced degranulation of neutrophils and eosinophils were also decreased by humate treatment. Inhibition of the adhesion of activated phagocytes, as well as inhibition of the release of granule polypeptides, both of which are responsible for tissue damage during inflammatory processes, are attractive targets for anti-inflammatory drugs. Because humate is well tolerated with an excellent safety profile it merits further evaluation in patients suffering from inflammatory conditions.

Effects of highly active novel artemisinin–chloroquinoline hybrid compounds on β-hematin formation, parasite morphology and endocytosis in Plasmodium falciparum

4-Aminoquinolines were hybridized with artemisinin and 1,4-naphthoquinone derivatives via the Ugi-four-component condensation reaction, and their biological activities investigated. The artemisinin-containing compounds 6a-c and its salt 6c-citrate were the most active target compounds in the antiplasmodial assays. However, despite the potent in vitro activities, they also displayed cytotoxicity against a mammalian cell-line, and had lower therapeutic indices than chloroquine. Morphological changes in parasites treated with these artemisinin-containing hybrid compounds were similar to those observed after addition of artemisinin. These hybrid compounds appeared to share mechanism(s) of action with both chloroquine and artemisinin: they exhibited potent β-hematin inhibitory activities; they caused an increase in accumulation of hemoglobin within the parasites that was intermediate between the increase observed with artesunate and chloroquine; and they also appeared to inhibit endocytosis as suggested by the decrease in the number of transport vesicles in the parasites. No cross-resistance with chloroquine was observed for these hybrid compounds, despite the fact that they contained the chloroquinoline moiety. The hybridization strategy therefore appeared to be borrowing the best from both classes of antimalarials.

Clofazimine-mediated regulation of human polymorphonuclear leukocyte migration by pro-oxidative inactivation of both leukoattractants and cellular migratory responsiveness

The effects of clofazimine (0.15-20 micrograms/ml) on the spontaneous and N-formyl-L-methionyl-L-leucyl-L-phenylalanine (FMLP)-stimulated migration, membrane-associated oxidative metabolism, degranulation and production of prostaglandin (PG) E2 by human polymorphonuclear in vitro have been investigated. Clofazimine at concentrations of 0.3 microgram/ml and greater significantly increased both the spontaneous and FMLP-stimulated chemiluminescence (CL), hexose monophosphate shunt (HMS) activity, myeloperoxidase-mediated protein iodination, auto-iodination, degranulation and PGE2 production by PMNL. At the same concentrations clofazimine inhibited both random and leukoattractant-induced migration of PMNL. Inhibition of PMNL migration by clofazimine was due to both a cell-directed auto-oxidative mechanism and by functional inactivation of FMLP. Clofazimine mediated inhibition of PMNL migration was prevented by the anti-oxidants cysteine and dapsone but not by the potent inhibitors of PG synthetase indomethacin and piroxicam. Anti-oxidants also protected FMLP from functional inactivation by clofazimine-exposed PMNL. Clofazimine increased both the spontaneous and FMLP-stimulated production of PGE2 by PMNL from four children with chronic granulomatous disease (CGD). Clofazimine is not an oxidising agent nor did it stimulate membrane-associated oxidative metabolism in CGD or NaF-pulsed normal PMNL. These data show that clofazimine-mediated inhibition of PMNL migration is dependent on intact cellular membrane-associated oxidative metabolism. Clofazimine is therefore a pro-oxidative anti-inflammatory agent.

The Cytotoxic Activity of Macromolecular Ferrocene Conjugates Against the Colo 320 DM Human Colon Cancer Line

Water-soluble and biocompatible polymers containing bioreversibly attached ferrocene units as side chain terminals have in recent years attracted interest in drug research. In preliminary screens, polymers of this type have shown high antiproliferative activity against selected human carcinoma cell lines, paired with low in vivo toxicity. They may thus lend themselves as efficacious prodrugs in cancer chemotherapy. Cancers of the intestinal system are known to resist chemotherapeutic treatment. This general lack of sensitivity of the colorectal malignancies prompted us to investigate the in vitro behavior of selected carrier-bound ferrocene prodrugs against the Colo 320 DM cell line, a representative human adenocarcinoma of the colon. The findings of this investigation are reported in the present communication. The carriers 1 to 10 used for conjugation with the metallocene are water-soluble aliphatic polyamides featuring primary or secondary amine functionality as side chain terminals or main chain constituents. By previously developed methodology these amino groups are coupled with the ferrocenylation agent, 4-ferrocenylbutanoic acid, generating the target conjugates 1-Fc to 10-Fc, in which the metallocene is bound through amide or hydrazone links. Cell culture tests are performed by established protocol against the Colo line and, for comparison, also against the HeLa cells. Significantly, while outstanding performance is observed for most of the conjugates against both cell lines, the results indicate activities in the Colo screens to be higher on average than determined in the sensitive HeLa tests.

Cell Growth-Inhibiting Properties of Selected Carrier-Bound, Monoamine-Coordinated Platinum(II) Compounds

In contradistinction to the ligand arrangement in coordination compounds of the square-planar cis-diamminedichloroplatinum(II) type as represented by the prototype anticancer drug cisplatin, scant attention has been paid in cancer research to those platinum complexes in which only a single amino group (in addition to different ligands) is coordinated to the metal. In continuation of earlier research in this laboratory focused on macromolecular compounds containing monoamine-coordinated platinum, we have now synthesized a series of such polymeric platinum conjugates and assessed their antiproliferative activity in cell culture tests conducted against several human cancer cell lines. Conjugates containing hydroxylated side groups as hydrosolubilizing entities are found to exhibit poor, or no, activity up to the highest drug concentration tested (50 μg Pt/mL). In contrast, those conjugates in which the solubilizing units are characterized by the presence of potentially cationic tert-amine side chain terminals show remarkably high cell-killing activity, with IC50 in the range of 1–6 μg Pt/mL against the HeLa cervical epitheloid carcinoma line. Two selected samples tested against the A-2780 human ovarian cancer line and its cisplatin-resistant A-2780-cis counterpart shows lack of cross-resistance with cisplatin (resistance factor ≤1). These findings augur well for the development of polymer-conjugated monoamine-coordinated platinum compounds with carcinostatic properties.

Cytotoxicity of Selected Water-Soluble Polymer–cis-Diaminedichloroplatinum(II) Conjugates Against the Human HeLa Cancer Cell Line

Several polymer-platinum conjugates comprising the square-planar cis-diaminedichloroplatinum(II) complex system of cisplatin-type anticancer drugs are screened for antiproliferative activity in cell culture tests. The water-soluble conjugates prepared in this study or taken from preceding investigations are obtained by platination of aliphatic polyamide carriers containing ethylenediamine segments as side-group or main-chain components. These segments, coordinating to the metal as cis-diamine chelating ligands, are bound to, or into, the carrier backbone through biofissionable amide links permitting drug release from the carrier. In vitro tests are performed against a HeLa human cervix carcinoma cell line. IC50 data, expressed as the concentration of Pt in the conjugates (μg/ml), causing 50% inhibition of cell growth, show the highest activity, with IC50=14 μg/ml, to be associated with a conjugate derived from a polyaspartamide carrier that contains the platinum complex as a side group in proximity to the main chain and, additionally, contains dimethylaminopropyl side groups as solubilizing functions. At the low end of the performance spectrum is a conjugate, with IC50>120 μg/ml, possessing a similar backbone and metal-binding structure, yet comprising long poly(ethylene oxide) grafts. The latter apparently shield the complex-binding tether from enzymatic attack and thus prevent efficient intracellular release of the monomeric complex. Selected conjugates will be submitted for toxicological evaluation.