ISSN print edition: 0366-6352 ISSN electronic edition: 1336-9075 Registr. No.: MK SR 9/7 Published monthly

Investigation of the anticancer of photodynamic therapy effects by using the novel Schiff base ligand palladium complexes on human breast cancer cell line

Burcu Demirbağ, Ebru Ballı, Metin Yıldırım, Hakan Ünver, Gülhan Temel, Mustafa Kemal Yılmaz, Evren Değirmenci, and Deniz Kibar

Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, Health Sciences Institute, Mersin University, Mersin, Turkey

E-mail: metinyildirim4@gmail.com

Received: 30 April 2024  Accepted: 20 July 2024

Abstract:

Chemotherapy plays a role in many cancer therapies, including breast cancer, but due to its significant side effects, alternate treatment approaches have been investigated. One such alternative is photodynamic therapy (PDT), which employs a combination of oxygen, a photosensitizer (PS), and light of a specific wavelength. Transition metal complexes and SBL have gained interest in PDT. In this study aimed to assess the potential antitumor activity and underlying mechanism of a newly synthesized Schiff base ligand (SBL)-mediated PDT on MCF-7 cells, comparing its efficacy to cisplatin. We synthesized and characterized two novel Pd-conjugated SBL compounds (complex-1 and 2). Following the treatment of MCF-7 cells with these compounds, a light-emitting diode (LED) was utilized to deliver a light dose of 14.8 J/cm². In MCF-7 cells, we also looked at cytotoxicity, cell death rates, and ROS levels. Results indicated a significant increase in cytotoxicity (IC₅₀:12.5 µM) (p < 0.05) and ROS levels (258.33%) (p < 0.05) in the group treated with complex-1-mediated PDT compared to control. The late apoptotic (29.78%) (p < 0.05) and necrotic (24.23%) (p < 0.05) cell death also increased significantly compared to the control group (1.86 ± 0.92, 1.89 ± 0.32, respectively). In conclusion, our study suggests that the complex-1 compound may serve as a promising candidate for anticancer agents in PDT for MCF-7 cells. In contrast, complex-2-mediated PDT did not demonstrate any observable anticancer activity.

Keywords: MCF-7; Anticancer; Photodynamic therapy; Reactive oxygen species; Schiff base

Full paper is available at www.springerlink.com.

DOI: 10.1007/s11696-024-03622-z

Chemical Papers 78 (13) 7611–7621 (2024)