Influence of extracellular pH on the cytotoxicity, cellular accumulation, and DNA interaction of novel pH-sensitive 2-aminoalcoholatoplatinum(II) complexes

Author(s)
Seied Mojtaba Valiahdi, Alexander Egger, Walter Miklos, Ute Jungwirth, Kristof Meelich, Walter Berger, Christian G. Hartinger, Mathea Sophia Galanski, Michael Jakupec, Bernhard Keppler
Abstract

Extracellular acidity is a frequent pathophysiological condition of solid tumors offering possibilities for improving the tumor selectivity of molecular therapy. This might be accomplished by prodrugs with low systemic toxicity, attaining their full antitumor potency only under acidic conditions, such as bis(2-aminoalcoholato-kappa A(2)N,O)platinum(II) complexes that are activated by protonation of alcoholato oxygen, resulting in cleavage of platinum-oxygen bonds. In this work, we examined whether the pH dependency of such compounds is reflected in differential biological activity in vitro. In particular, the pH dependence of cytotoxicity, cellular accumulation, DNA platination, GMP binding, effects on DNA secondary structure, cell cycle alterations, and induction of apoptosis was investigated. Enhanced cytotoxicity of five of these complexes in non-small-cell lung cancer (A549) and colon carcinoma (HT-29) cells at pH 6.0 in comparison with pH 7.4 was confirmed: 50 % growth inhibition concentrations ranged from 42 to 214 mu M in A549 cells and from 35 to 87 mu M in HT-29 cells at pH 7.4 and decreased at pH 6.0 to 11-50 and 7.3-25 mu M, respectively. The effects induced by all five pH-sensitive compounds involve increased 5'-GMP binding, cellular accumulation, and DNA platination as well as stronger effects on DNA secondary structure at pH 6.0 than at pH 7.4. As exemplified by treatment of A549 cells with a 2-amino-4-methyl-1-pentanolato complex, induction of apoptosis is enhanced at pH 6.5. These results confirm the increased reactivity and in vitro activity of these compounds under slightly acidic conditions, encouraging further evaluation of ring-closed aminoalcoholatoplatinum(II) derivatives in solid tumors in vivo.

Organisation(s)
Department of Inorganic Chemistry
External organisation(s)
Medizinische Universität Wien, University of Auckland
Journal
Journal of Biological Inorganic Chemistry
Volume
18
Pages
249-260
No. of pages
12
ISSN
0949-8257
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00775-012-0970-4
Publication date
2013
Peer reviewed
Yes
Austrian Fields of Science 2012
106002 Biochemistry, 104003 Inorganic chemistry
Sustainable Development Goals
SDG 3 - Good Health and Well-being
Portal url
https://ucrisportal.univie.ac.at/en/publications/f0a83148-9d86-4ceb-a7ba-cc3c1a1c249d