Michel Picquet

Caffeine-Based Gold(I) N-Heterocyclic Carbenes as Possible Anticancer Agents: Synthesis and Biological Properties

A new series of gold(I) N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) complexes based on xanthine ligands have been synthesized and characterized by mass spectrometry, NMR, and X-ray diffraction. The compounds have been tested for their antiproliferative properties in human cancer cells and nontumorigenic cells in vitro, as well as for their toxicity in healthy tissues ex vivo. The bis-carbene complex [Au(caffein-2-ylidene)2][BF4] (complex 4) appeared to be selective for human ovarian cancer cell lines and poorly toxic in healthy organs. To gain preliminary insights into their actual mechanism of action, two biologically relevant in cellulo targets were studied, namely, DNA (more precisely a higher-order DNA structure termed G-quadruplex DNA that plays key roles in oncogenetic regulation) and a pivotal enzyme of the DNA damage response (DDR) machinery (poly-(adenosine diphosphate (ADP)-ribose) polymerase 1 (PARP-1), strongly involved in the cancer resistance mechanism). Our results indicate that complex 4 acts as an efficient and selective G-quadruplex ligand while being a modest PARP-1 inhibitor (i.e., poor DDR impairing agent) and thus provide preliminary insights into the molecular mechanism that underlies its antiproliferative behavior.

Synthesis of New Cationic Donor-Stabilized Phosphenium Adducts and Their Unexpected P-Substituent Exchange Reactions

The reaction between two 1,3-dialkylimidazolium-2-carboxylates 1a and 1b and two different dichlorophosphines (RPCl(2), with R = Ph and NEt(2)) led to new donor-stabilized phosphenium adducts. When the reaction was performed with the 1,3-dimethylimidazolium-2-carboxylate 1a and PhPCl(2) in a 2:1 ratio, the phosphine 4a, bearing two imidazolium moieties, was obtained and led to 5a, after an anion exchange reaction with KPF(6), the latter being fully characterized by an X-ray structure analysis. In similar conditions, the bis-imidazolium phosphine or phosphene-di-ium, 4b, which is analogous to 4a, has been obtained by the addition of PhPCl(2) to the 1-dodecyl-3-methylimidazolium-2-carboxylate 1b. However, by the use of dichloro(diethylamino)phosphine, (Et(2)N)PCl(2), instead of PhPCl(2), the reaction with 1a did not afford the biscationic phosphorus product 6a, an analogue to 4a, but, instead, the water-soluble mixed mono-imidazolium chlorophosphine 7a. Subsequently, additional kinetic experiments have been investigated to rationalize the different reactivities observed with imidazolium-2-carboxylates and the phosphorus halide derivatives. We, thus, found that the bis-imidazolium phosphine 4b was very rapidly formed in the above-mentioned reaction and was slowly converted, thereafter, back to the mixed mono-imidazolium chlorophosphine 8b in the presence of the residual starting dichlorophosphine. Additionally, the addition of PhPCl(2) to the phosphene-di-ium 4b represents, to our knowledge, the first example of a P-substituent exchange reaction involving a P-C bond formation in imidazolium phosphines. On the other hand, the air stability and the solubility of these new cationic functional phosphines in different media render such ligands very appealing in coordination chemistry for catalysis in mono- or biphasic media.

Multinuclear Cytotoxic Metallodrugs: Physicochemical Characterization and Biological Properties of Novel Heteronuclear Gold-Titanium Complexes

An unprecedented series of titanocene-gold bi- and trimetallic complexes of the general formula [[(η(5)-C(5)H(5))(μ-η(5):κ(1)-C(5)H(4)(CH(2))(n)PPh(2))TiCl(2)](m)AuCl(x)](q+) (n = 0, 2, or 4; m = 1, x = 1, q = 0 or m = 2, x = 0, q = 1) have been prepared and characterized spectroscopically. The luminescence spectroscopy and photophysics of one of the compounds, [[(η(5)-C(5)H(5))(μ-η(5):κ(1)-C(5)H(4)PPh(2))TiCl(2)](2)Au]PF(6), have been investigated in 2MeTHF solution and in the solid state at 77 and 298 K. Evidence for interfragment interactions based on the comparison of electronic band positions and emission lifetimes, namely, triplet energy transfer (ET) from the Au- to the Ti-containing chromophores, is provided. The cytotoxicity of the complexes was evaluated on A2780 ovarian cancer cells and on their cisplatin-resistant cell line A2780cisR; the compounds showed activity in the low micromolar range that was markedly more active than the corresponding titanocene-phosphine precursors [(η(5)-C(5)H(5))(η(5)-C(5)H(4)(CH(2))(n)PPh(2))TiCl(2)], cisplatin, and, for some of them, the gold analogue [(PPh(3))AuCl]. In an attempt to draw preliminary structure-activity relationships, cell uptake measurements and interaction studies with plasmid DNA and the model protein ubiquitin (Ub) have been undertaken on some of the compounds.

Ionic Liquids: Media for Better Molecular Catalysis

Ionic liquids (ILs) are more and more suggested as substitutes for traditional solvents in organic synthesis and catalysis. They are suitable candidates for the dissolution of ionic complexes. They can activate and retain them in a polar state: in fact, they act as sequestrands, opening the route to two-phase processes and easier catalyst recovery. This paper reviews authors results with the development of new syntheses of ILs and applications in carbon–carbon bond formation (dimerisation of methyl acrylate) and redistribution (ring closing metathesis) reactions using ionic precatalysts.

Development of Bimetallic Titanocene-Ruthenium-Arene Complexes As Anticancer Agents: Relationships between Structural and Biological Properties

A series of bimetallic titanium-ruthenium complexes of general formula [(η(5)-C(5)H(5))(μ-η(5):κ(1)-C(5)H(4)(CR(2))(n)PRR)TiCl(2)](η(6)-p-cymene)RuCl(2) (n = 0, 1, 2 or 4; R = H or Me; R = H, Ph, or Cy; R = Ph or Cy) have been synthesized, including two novel compounds as well as two cationic derivatives of formula [(η(5)-C(5)H(5))(μ-η(5):κ(1)-C(5)H(4)(CH(2))(n)PPh(2))TiCl(2)] [(η(6)-p-cymene)RuCl](BF(4)) (n = 0 or 2). The solid state structure of two of these compounds was also established by X-ray crystallography. The complexes showed a cytotoxic effect on human ovarian cancer cells and were markedly more active than their Ti or Ru monometallic analogues titanocene dichloride and RAPTA-C, respectively. Studies of cathepsin B inhibition, an enzyme involved in cancer progression, showed that enzyme inhibition by the bimetallic complexes is influenced by the length of the alkyl chain in between the metal centers. Complementary ESI-MS studies provided evidence for binding of a Ru(II) fragment to proteins.

Determination of Successive Complexation Constants in an Ionic Liquid: Complexation of UO22+ with NO3− in C4-mimTf2N Studied by UV−Vis Spectroscopy

The complexation of UO(2)(2+) with NO(3)(-) has been investigated in the ionic liquid 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide by UV-vis spectroscopy at T = 18.5 degrees C. The complexation is evidenced through the appearance of four peaks at 425, 438, 453, and 467 nm. EXAFS data indicate that the trinitrato complex, UO(2)(NO(3))(3)(-), is dominating the speciation for a reagent ratio of [NO(3)(-)]/[UO(2)(2+)] > 3. Assuming three successive complexation steps, the conditional stability constants are calculated, the individual absorption spectra are derived, and a speciation plot is presented.

Organo-catalyzed synthesis of aliphatic polycarbonates in solvent-free conditions

A new efficient and expeditious route to the synthesis of aliphatic polycarbonates, in solvent-free conditions and using 1-n-butyl-3-methylimidazolium-2-carboxylate (BMIM-2-CO2) as a catalyst precursor, is described. The protocol consists of a two-step polymerization process involving the transesterification of dimethyl carbonate (DMC) with linear alkane diols and leading to high molecular weight homopolymers. The reaction went to completion quantitatively with the liberation of methanol as the only by-product. The in situ formation of N-heterocyclic carbene species resulting from BMIM-2-CO2 decarboxylation is suggested to be a key feature of the condensation process. The protocol was then applied to the copolymerization of diverse diols leading to the synthesis of polycarbonates with average segment lengths and random sequences.

Gold(I) NHC-based homo- and heterobimetallic complexes: synthesis, characterization and evaluation as potential anticancer agents

While N-heterocyclic carbenes (NHC) are ubiquitous ligands in catalysis for organic or industrial syntheses, their potential to form transition metal complexes for medicinal applications has still to be exploited. Within this frame, we synthesized new homo- and heterobimetallic complexes based on the Au(I)–NHC scaffold. The compounds were synthesized via a microwave-assisted method developed in our laboratories using Au(I)–NHC complexes carrying a pentafluorophenol ester moiety and another Au(I) phosphane complex or a bipyridine ligand bearing a pendant amine function. Thus, we developed two different methods to prepare homo- and heterobimetallic complexes (Au(I)/Au(I) or Au(I)/Cu(II), Au(I)/Ru(II), respectively). All the compounds were fully characterized by several spectroscopic techniques including far infrared, and were tested for their antiproliferative effects in a series of human cancer cells. They showed moderate anticancer properties. Their toxic effects were also studied ex vivo using the precision-cut tissue slices (PCTS) technique and initial results concerning their reactivity with the seleno-enzyme thioredoxin reductase were obtained.

Electrochemical and Spectral Properties of Ferrocene (Fc) in Ionic Liquid: 1-Butyl-3-methylimidazolium Triflimide, [BMIM][NTf2]. Concentration Effects

Several earlier studies of the electrochemical oxidation of ferrocene (Fc) in room-temperature ionic liquids revealed an essentially nonlinear dependence of the oxidation current on the Fc concentration in its relatively dilute solutions, with its formally calculated diffusion coefficient strongly increasing with the concentration. Since no plausible mechanism leading to this very unusual finding had been proposed, our study of Fc solutions in 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium triflimide, [BMIM][NTf(2)], was performed to verify whether the above observation originated from an incorrect determination of the dissolved Fc concentration. Our observations have demonstrated that reliable control of the Fc concentration in solution is complicated by factors such as the low amount of Fc used to prepare small-volume solutions or the great difficulty to dissolve completely a solid powder in a solvent with an extremely high viscosity. An unexpected additional complication is related to a sufficiently high volatility of Fc which manifests itself even at room temperature and especially at elevated temperatures or/and in the course of vacuum treatment of its solutions or its solid powder. Parallel measurements of electrochemical responses and UV-visible spectra for several series of Fc solutions of various concentrations (prepared with the use of different procedures) have shown a perfect parallelism between the peak current and the intensity of the absorption band in the range of 360-550 nm, leading us to the conclusion of a linear relationship between the oxidation current and the molecularly dissolved Fc concentration. The relations of these measured characteristics with the estimated Fc concentration in these solutions have demonstrated a much greater dispersion (attributed to the difficulty of a precise measurement of the latter) but without a significant deviation from the linearity in general. This finding has allowed us to estimate the diffusion coefficient of this species: D = (1.7 +/- 0.2) x 10(-7) cm(2)/s. The extinction coefficients for the maximum of the absorption band (at 440 nm) of Fc have been compared for a series of solvents: [BMIM][NTf(2)], acetonitrile, THF, heptane, CH(2)Cl(2), ethanol, and toluene. A simple method to estimate reliably the concentration of solute Fc in ionic liquids based on spectroscopic measurements has been proposed, owing to the proximity of Fc absorption properties for a great variety of solvents.

Selective palladium-catalysed dimerisation of methyl acrylate in ionic liquids: towards a continuous processThis work was presented at the Green Solvents for Catalysis Meeting, held in Bruchsal, Germany, 13–16th October 2002.

The activity and stability of cationic palladium complexes [Pd(PBu3)2S2]2+ used for the selective tail-to-tail dimerisation of methyl acrylate are significantly improved with the utilisation of ionic liquids like [BMIM][BF4] or the protonated N-butyl-imidazole, [HBIM][BF4]. Problems related to product inhibition and catalyst recycling are overcome by running the reaction in a two-phase mode, toluene being used as extractant. Catalyst stabilisation is further improved by trapping the ancillary ligand into the ionic liquid with an ionic tail: with the use of 1-dibutylphosphino-2-dimethylaminoethane, the catalyst is stable for more than 100 h, therefore demonstrating the feasibility of a continuous process for methyl acrylate dimerisation.