10.1016/j.jinorgbio.2011.03.005
The research focuses on the synthesis, characterization, and evaluation of the cytotoxic activity of a series of cobalt(II) β-ketoaminato complexes towards various human tumor cell lines. The purpose of the study was to investigate the potential of these cobalt compounds as novel cytotoxic drugs, selective towards certain types of tumors. The researchers prepared a series of square planar cobalt(II) compounds with tetradentate β-ketoaminato ligands, varying in the number of ―CF3 ligand substituents, and one tetrahedral cobalt compound with two bidentate ligands. The compounds were synthesized using a multistep reaction sequence involving chemicals such as CoCl2, sodium bis(trimethylsilyl)amide, sodium hydride, tert-butyldimethylchlorosilane, 1,2-diaminoethane, and various β-diketones, including hexafluoroacetylacetone and 4,4,4-trifluoro-1-phenyl-1,3-butanedione. The conclusions drawn from the study indicate that the cobalt complexes, particularly L2Co, exhibit significant cytotoxic activity against prostate cancer and leukemia cells, with activity mediated through mechanisms involving caspase-3, MAP kinases, and reactive oxygen species. These findings suggest that these cobalt complexes could be developed as a new class of cytotoxic drugs.