Theragnostic neutral Pt(II) complexes based on 8-aminoquinoline skeleton

Theragnostic agents are often used for combining diagnostic and therapeutic approaches. In the last decade, many anticancer compounds bearing both these features were realized using transition metal complexes. In particular, platinum(II) complexes were synthetized considering the possibility to module the electronic and steric features. Recently, we studied two different classes of charged platinum(II) compounds, a positive[1] and a negative charged [2] respectively, characterized by the presence of different types of labile ligands able to amplify the liphofilicity of the compounds, as testified by their major internalization into the cells. Moreover, these classes of anticancer agents have recently emerged for their unconventional mechanisms of action compared to cisplatin-like drugs, their potent cytotoxic activity and their distinctive anticancer spectrum of action. Considering these different aspects, a matching between these classes was realized affording neutral complexes reavealing as good candidates for their anticytotoxic and antiproliferative activities against the orphan triple negative breast cancer (specifically toward resistant MDA-MB-31 cancer cell line).