Solution chemistry and cytotoxic properties of novel organogold(III) compounds Original Research Article

The solution behaviour of some novel organogold(III) compounds was investigated, and their cytotoxic properties evaluated against a few human tumour cell lines (A2780/S, A2780/R, MCF7, HT29 and A549). Specifically, the following compounds were considered: [Au(bipydmb-H)(2,6-xylidine-H)][PF6] (AuXyl) and [Au(bipydmb-H)(p-toluidine-H)][PF6] (AuTol) (in which bipydmb = 6-(1,1-dimethylbenzyl)-2,2′-bipyridine), [Au(pydmb-H)(AcO)2] (AuPyAcO) (in which pydmb = 2-(1,1-dimethylbenzyl)-pyridine) and [Au(pzPh-H)Cl3]K (AuPzCl) (in which pzPh = 1-phenylpyrazole). The solution chemistry of these compounds, under physiological-like conditions, was investigated through UV–vis absorption and 1H NMR spectroscopies. Significant cytotoxic effects in vitro were observed in selected cases.