Data on the characterization and anticancer action of iron(II) polypyridyl complexes

This data article contains complementary figures and results related to the research article entitled, “Cellular localization of iron(II) polypyridyl complexes determines their anticancer action mechanisms” [1] (Chen et al., 2015). The characterization of Fe(II) complexes by ESI-MS, (1)H NMR, (13)C NMR spectroscopy, FT-IR spectra, UV–vis spectra was provided. Also,the data for the stability of Fe(II) complexes 1–5 in DMSO/Milli-Q water/ culture medium (without serum or phenol red) at 37 °C at different periods of time by UV–vis spectra and (1)H NMR was showed. At the same time, the anticancer efficacy, cellular distribution and ROS generation in MCF-7 cells of complexes are reported. In addition, we also show the cellular localization of complex 4, the relative fluorescence intensity of complex 1 and complex 3 pretreated with anti-TfR (2 μg/mL) in MCF-7 cells using flow cytometry. The compilation of this data provides an invaluable resource for the wider research community and the interpretation of these data could be found in the research article noted above.