Exploring the Mechanisms behind the Anti-Tumoral Effects of Model C-Scorpionate Complexes

The growing worldwide cancer incidence, coupled to the increasing occurrence of multidrug cancer resistance, requires a continuous effort towards the identification of new leads for cancer management. In this work, two C-scorpionate complexes, [FeCl(2)(κ(3)-Tpm)] (1) and [Co(κ(3)-Tpm(OH))(2)](NO(3))(2) (2), (Tpm = hydrotris(pyrazol-1-yl)methane and Tpm(OH) = 2,2,2-tris(pyrazol-1-yl)ethanol), were studied as potential scaffolds for future anticancer drug development. Their cytotoxicity and cell migration inhibitory activity were analyzed, and an untargeted metabolomics approach was employed to elucidate the biological processes significantly affected by these two complexes, using two tumoral cell lines (B16 and HCT116) and a non-tumoral cell line (HaCaT). While [FeCl(2)(κ(3)-Tpm)] did not display a significant cytotoxicity, [Co(κ(3)-Tpm(OH))(2)](NO(3))(2) was particularly cytotoxic against the HCT116 cell line. While [Co(κ(3)-Tpm(OH))(2)](NO(3))(2) significantly inhibited cell migration in all tested cell lines, [FeCl(2)(κ(3)-Tpm)] displayed a mixed activity. From a metabolomics perspective, exposure to [FeCl(2)(κ(3)-Tpm)] was associated with changes in various metabolic pathways involving tyrosine, where iron-dependent enzymes are particularly relevant. On the other hand, [Co(κ(3)-Tpm(OH))(2)](NO(3))(2) was associated with dysregulation of cell adhesion and membrane structural pathways, suggesting that its antiproliferative and anti-migration properties could be due to changes in the overall cellular adhesion mechanisms.