A Co(III) Complex of 1-Amino-4-hydroxy-9,10-anthraquinone Exhibits Apoptotic Action against MCF-7 Human Breast Cancer Cells

[Image: see text] A Co(III) complex of 1-amino-4-hydroxy-9,10-anthraquinone (QH) (Scheme-1) having the molecular formula CoQ(3) (Scheme-2) was prepared and characterized by elemental analysis, FTIR spectroscopy, UV–vis spectroscopy, fluorescence spectroscopy, and mass spectrometry. In the absence of a single crystal, the energy-optimized molecular structure of CoQ(3) was determined by employing computational methods that was validated using spectroscopic evidences, elemental analysis, and mass spectrometry data. The electrochemical properties of the complex were analyzed using cyclic voltammetry and indicate a substantial modification of the electrochemical properties of the parent amino-hydroxy-9,10-anthraquinone. CoQ(3) was thereafter tested on MCF-7 human breast cancer cells. The IC(50) value for a 24 h incubation was found to be (95 ± 0.05) μg/mL. The study showed that such cancer cells underwent both early and late apoptosis following the interaction with CoQ(3).