The Interaction of the Antitumor Complexes Na[trans-RuCl(4) (DMSO)(Im)] and Na[trans-RuCl(4)(DMSO)(Ind)] With Apotransferrin: a Spectroscopic Study

The interaction of two antitumor ruthenium(III) complexes,-Na[trans-RuCl(4)(DMSO)(Im)] and Na[trans-RuCl(4)(DMSO)(Ind)]- with human serum apotransferrin (apoTf) was investigated through a number of spectroscopic techniques such as UV-Vis absorption, CD and (1)H NMR spectroscopy. Interestingly, the hydrolysis profiles of these complexes in a physiological buffer are markedly affected by the presence, in solution, of apoTf suggesting the occurrence of a specific interaction of their respective hydrolysis products with the protein. The formation of stable adducts with apotransferrin has been demonstrated by CD spectroscopy, and additional information obtained through (1)H NMR of the hyperfine shifted signals. The bound ruthenium(III) species may be detached from these adducts by addition of excess citrate at low pH. The behavior of the investigated ruthenium(III) complexes with apoTf is compared with that of the recently described and strictly related ru-im and ru-ind antitumour complexes, and discussed in the frame of general strategies of drug targeting.