This work examines the impact of axially coordinating additives on the electronic structure of a bioinspired octahedral low-spin iron(II) N-heterocyclic carbene (Fe-NHC) complex. Bearing two labile trans-acetonitrile ligands, the Fe-NHC complex, which is also an excellent oxidation catalyst, is prone to axial ligand exchange. Phosphine- and pyridine-based additives are used for substitution of the acetonitrile ligands. On the basis of the resulting defined complexes, predictability of the oxidation potentials is demonstrated, based on a correlation between cyclic voltammetry experiments and density functional theory calculated molecular orbital energies. Fundamental insights into changes of the electronic properties upon axial ligand exchange and the impact on related attributes will finally lead to target-oriented manipulation of the electronic properties and consequently to the effective tuning of the reactivity of bioinspired systems.

Abstract:The lack of selectivity for cancer cells and the resulting negative impact on healthy tissue is a severe drawback of actual cancer chemotherapy. Tethering of cytotoxic drugs to targeting vectors such as peptides, which recognize receptors overexpressed on the surface of tumor cells, is one possible strategy to overcome such a problem. The pentapeptide cyc(RGDfK) targets the integrin receptor α v 3 , important for tumor growth and metastasis formation. In this work, two terpyridine-based Ru II complexes were prepared and for the first time conjugated to cyc(RGDfK) through amide bond formation, which resulted in a monomeric and a dimeric bioconjugate.

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A series of histidine derived Au(I) bis‐NHC complexes bearing different ester, amide and carboxylic acid functionalities as well as wingtip substituents is synthesized and characterized. The stability in aqueous media, in vitro cytotoxicity in a set of cancer cell lines (MCF7, PC3 and A2780/A2780cisR) along with the cellular uptake are evaluated. Stability tests suggest hydrolysis of the ester within 8 h, which might lead to deactivation. Furthermore, the bis‐NHC system shows a sufficient stability against cysteine and the thiol containing peptide GSH. The benzyl ester and amide show the highest activity comparable to the benchmark compound cisplatin, with the ester only displaying a slightly lower cytotoxicity than the amide. A cellular uptake study revealed that the benzyl ester and the amide could have different intracellular distribution profiles but both complexes induce perturbations of the cellular physiological processes. The simple modifiability and high stability of the complexes provides a promising system for upcoming post modifications to enable targeted cancer therapy.