Ruthenium(II) complexes of pyrrol-azo ligands: cytotoxicity, interaction with calf thymus DNA and bovine serum albumin

Two ruthenium(II) complexes of newly designed pyrrol-azo ligands(L) and bipyridine(bpy) formulated as [Ru(L)(bpy)2]ClO4, where HL1 = (4-chloro-phenyl)-(1H-pyrrol-2-yl)-diazene (1) complex 1 and HL2 = (4-nitro-phenyl)-(1H-pyrrol-2-yl)-diazene for 2, were isolated in pure form. The complexes were characterized by physicochemical and spectroscopic methods. The electrochemical behavior of the complexes showed the Ru(III)/Ru(II) couple at different potentials with quasi-reversible voltammograms. The study of cytotoxicity effects of 1 and 2 on human breast cancer cells (MCF 7, MDA-MB 231) and cervical cancer cell (HeLa) taking Cisplatin as a positive reference showed that 1 exhibited higher cytotoxicity against cancer cell lines than 2, but less activity than Cisplatin. The interaction of 1 with calf thymus DNA (CT-DNA) using absorption, emission spectral studies, viscosity-measurement, and electrochemical techniques has been used to determine the binding constant Kb and the linear Stern–Volmer quenching constant KSV. The results indicate that 1 strongly interacts with CT-DNA in groove binding mode. The interaction of bovine serum albumin (BSA) with 1 was also investigated with the help of spectroscopic tools. Absorption spectroscopy proved the formation of a BSA-[Ru(L1)(bpy)2]ClO4 complex.