GREMMLENZ UNICAMP

A Gold(III) complex featuring N,N′-ethylenebis(pyrrol-2-yl-methyleneamine) (H2pyren) was synthesized and thoroughly characterized through physicochemical and spectroscopic analyses. The investigation involved density functional theory (DFT) studies and cytotoxic assays. Infrared, mass spectrometry, and nuclear magnetic resonance (1H, 13C, {15N,1H}) analyses revealed the deprotonation of pyren and a square planar coordination environment for gold(III), with pyrrole and imine nitrogens as donors.

Powder X-ray diffraction and DFT studies confirmed the structural details, identifying it as a minimum on the potential energy surface. The cytotoxic activity of [Au(pyren)]+ demonstrated effectiveness against three tumorigenic cell lines, exhibiting IC50 values of 35 μM. Interaction studies with CT-DNA using fluorescence and competition with ethidium bromide (EB) indicated DNA as a potential target via intercalative binding. This was further confirmed by circular dichroism spectroscopy, revealing DNA conformational changes.

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