Half-Sandwich Ru(II) Complexes Bearing 2-(2¢-quinoly)benzimidazoles with Anticancer Activity

Abstract

In this article, cytotoxic and apoptotic properties of previously synthesized and characterized four different half‐sandwich ruthenium (II) complexes (C1-C4) with 2-(2¢-quinoly) benzimidazole frameworks (L1-L5) were described. These Ru (II) complexes (C1-C4) had strong cytotoxic activity towards the human glioblastoma (U373) cancer cell line with low toxicity to the non-cancerous human embryonic kidney (HEK293) cell line. Mechanistic studies revealed that all complexes caused apoptosis induction by activating caspases with upregulation of Bax and downregulation of Bcl-2. Our results indicate that ruthenium (II) complexes with 2-(2¢-quinoly) benzimidazole frameworks, especially C1 and C4, had a higher cytotoxic and apoptotic activity in human glioblastoma cells, and they should be further evaluated in detail for its anticancer properties as a new therapeutical strategy for glioblastoma. © 2024 by the authors.