Ferrocene-indole hybrids for cancer and malaria therapy

J. Quirante (1) , Faustine Dubar (2) , A. González (1) , C. Lopez (3) , M. Cascante (4) , R. Cortes (4) , I. Forfar (5) , Bruno Pradines (6) , Christophe Biot (2, 7)

1 Laboratori de Química Organica
2 UCCS - Unité de Catalyse et Chimie du Solide - UMR 8181
3 Departament de Química Inorgnica
4 Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
5 EA 2962 - Pharmacochimie
6 Unité de Recherche en Biologie et Epidémiologie Parasitaires
7 UGSF - Unité de Glycobiologie Structurale et Fonctionnelle - UMR 8576

We report the synthesis, characterization, and cytotoxic and antimalarial activity of ferrocene-indole hybrids 8-14. The 2-phenylindole scaffold was chosen because of its potent antimitotic activity and ferrocene was chosen following the development of ferrocifens, ferrocene derivatives of tamoxifen, which are prototypes of a new family of organometallic anti-estrogens. Ferrocene-indole hybrids 8-14 and their corresponding organic analogues 1-7 showed only moderate antimalarial activities, while ferrocene-indole hybrids 11 and 12 showed excellent in vitro activities against the A549 human carcinoma cell line, with IC50 values of 5 and 7 μM respectively. These ferrocene-indole hybrids were up to 25-fold more potent as cytotoxic agents than their purely organic analogues.

Domaines: Biochimie [q-bio.BM]

J. Quirante, Faustine Dubar, A. González, C. Lopez, M. Cascante, et al.. Ferrocene-indole hybrids for cancer and malaria therapy. Journal of Organometallic Chemistry, 2011, 696 (5), pp.1011-1017. ⟨10.1016/j.jorganchem.2010.11.021⟩. ⟨hal-00641752⟩