A Strategy to Conjugate Bioactive Fragments to Cytotoxic Diiron Bis(cyclopentadienyl) Complexes

[Image: see text] A series of bioactive molecules were synthesized from the condensation of aspirin or chlorambucil with terminal alkynes bearing alcohol or amine substituents. Insertion of the resulting alkynes into the iron–carbyne bond of readily accessible diiron bis(cyclopentadienyl) μ-aminocarbyne complexes, [1a,b]CF(3)SO(3), afforded novel diiron complexes with a bridging vinyliminium ligand, [2–10]CF(3)SO(3), functionalized with a bioactive moiety. All compounds were characterized by elemental analysis and IR and multinuclear NMR spectroscopy and in three cases by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. Moreover, the D(2)O solubility, stability in D(2)O and cell culture media, and octanol–water partition coefficients of diiron complexes were determined spectroscopically. The cytotoxicity of the complexes was assessed in the tumorigenic A2780 and A2780cisR and the nontumorigenic HEK 293T cell lines. Some complexes exhibit high potency and the ability to overcome resistance in A2780cisR cells (aspirin complexes) or high selectivity relative to HEK 293T cells (chlorambucil complexes). Further studies indicate that the complexes significantly trigger intracellular ROS production, irrespective of the nature of the bioactive fragment. DNA alkylation and protein binding studies were also undertaken.