A new series of organometallic ruthenium(II)-arene compounds of the type RuCl2(è6-arene)(phosphine)
(phosphine ) 1,3,5-triaza-7-phosphaadamantane, PTA, and 3,7-diacetly-1,3,7-triaza-5-phosphabicyclo-
[3.3.1]nonane, DAPTA) with different potential hydrogen-bonding functionalities on the arene ligand
have been prepared and studied for their antitumor activity. Cell viability studies using the TS/A mouse
adenocarcinoma cancer cell line and the nontumorigenic HBL-100 human mammary cell line, combined
with uptake determinations, are compared to the nonfunctionalized analogues, previously shown to be
active on solid metastasizing tumors. The reactivity of the functionalized RAPTA compounds with a
14-mer oligonucleotide (established by mass spectrometry) has been rationalized by DFT calculations,
which indicate that environmental factors are important.
