Mixed ligand ruthenium(III) complexes of benzaldehyde 4-methyl-3-thiosemicarbazones with triphenylphosphine/triphenylarsine co-ligands: Synthesis, DNA binding, DNA cleavage, antioxidative and cytotoxic activity

The new ruthenium(III) complexes with 4-methyl-3-thiosemicarbazone ligands, (E)-2-(2-chlorobenzylidene)-N-methylhydrazinecarbothioamide (HL1) and (E)-2-(2-nitrobenzylidene)-N-methylhydrazinecarbothioamide (HL2), were prepared and characterized by various physico-chemical and spectroscopic methods. The title compounds act as bidentate, monobasic chelating ligands with S and N as the donor sites and are preferably found in the thiol form in all the complexes studied. The molecular structure of HL1 and HL2 were determined by single crystal X-ray diffraction method. DNA binding of the ligands and complexes were investigated by absorption spectroscopy and IR spectroscopy. It reveals that the compounds bind to nitrogenous bases of DNA via intercalation. The oxidative cleavage of the complexes with CT-DNA inferred that the effects of cleavage are dose dependent. Antioxidant study of the ligands and complexes showed the significant antioxidant activity against DPPH radical. In addition, the in vitro cytotoxicity of the ligands and complexes against MCF-7 cell line was assayed which showed higher cytotoxic activity with the lower IC50 values indicating their efficiency in killing the cancer cells even at low concentrations.