Bioactive Ru(II)-Arene Complexes with Natural Polyphenolic Ligands as Anticancer Metallodrugs

Ruthenium-arene complexes represent a promising opportunity for the design and development of novel bioactive molecules. These compounds display interesting antitumor activity and can be considered valid alternatives to platinum drugs, owing to their lower toxicity and stronger selectivity.1 We report a systematic investigation of the interaction between arene ruthenium(II) (arene = p-cymene, benzene or hexamethylbenzene) and natural bidentate ligands such as curcumin2 (Figure 1) and quercetin3 (Figure 2) that are bioavailable polyphenolic compounds well known for their antiinflammatory, antiviral, and antioxidant activity.