The reaction of gem-dithiol compounds R 2C(SH) 2 (R = Bn (benzyl), (i) Pr; R 2 = -(CH 2) 4-) with dinuclear rhodium or iridium complexes containing basic ligands such as [M(mu-OH)(cod)] 2 and [M(mu-OMe)(cod)] 2, or the mononuclear [M(acac)(cod)] (M = Rh, Ir, cod = 1,5-cyclooctadiene) in the presence of a external base, afforded the dinuclear complexes [M 2(mu-S 2CR 2)(cod) 2] ( 1- 4). The monodeprotonation of 1,1-dimercaptocyclopentane gave the mononuclear complex [Rh(HS 2Cptn)(cod)] ( 5) that is a precursor for the dinuclear compound [Rh 2(mu-S 2Cptn)(cod) 2] ( 6). Carbonylation of the diolefin compounds gave the complexes [Rh 2(mu-S 2CR 2)(CO) 4] ( 7- 9), which reacted with P-donor ligands to stereoselectively produce the trans isomer of the disubstituted complexes [Rh 2(mu-S 2CR 2)(CO) 2(PR' 3) 2] (R' = Ph, Cy (cyclohexyl)) ( 10- 13) and [Rh 2(mu-S 2CBn 2)(CO) 2{P(OR') 3} 2] (R' = Me, Ph) ( 14- 15). The substitution process in [Rh 2(mu-S 2CBn 2)(CO) 4] ( 7) by P(OMe) 3 has been studied by spectroscopic means and the full series of substituted complexes [Rh 2(mu-S 2CBn 2)(CO) 4- n {P(OR) 3} n ] ( n = 1, 4) has been identified in solution. The cis complex [Rh 2(mu-S 2CBn 2)(CO) 2(mu-dppb)] ( 16) was obtained by reaction of 7 with the diphosphine dppb (1,4-bis(diphenylphosphino)butane). The molecular structures of the diolefinic dinuclear complexes [Rh 2(mu-S 2CR 2)(cod) 2] (R = Bn ( 1), (i) Pr ( 2); R 2 = -(CH 2) 4- ( 6)) and that of the cis complex 16 have been studied by X-ray diffraction.

The histone deacetylase inhibitor N1-(ferrocenyl)-N8-hydroxyoctanediamide (JAHA) down-regulates extracellular-signal-regulated kinase (ERK) and its activated form in triple-negative MDA-MB231 breast cancer cells after 18 h and up to 30 h of treatment, and to a lesser extent AKT and phospho-AKT after 30 h and up to 48 h of treatment. Also, DNA methyltransferase 1 (DNMT1), 3b and, to a lesser extent, 3a, downstream ERK targets, were down-regulated already at 18 h with an increase up to 48 h of exposure. Methylation-sensitive restriction arbitrarily-primed (MeSAP) polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis confirmed the ability of JAHA to induce genome-wide DNA hypomethylation at 48 h of exposure. Collective data suggest that JAHA, by down-regulating phospho-ERK, impairs DNMT1 and 3b expression and ultimately DNA methylation extent, which may be related to its cytotoxic effect on this cancer cytotype.

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Metal dyshomeostasis is central to a number of disorders that result from, inter alia, oxidative stress, protein misfolding, and cholesterol dyshomeostasis. In this respect, metal deficiencies are usually readily corrected by treatment with supplements, whereas metal overload can be overcome by the use of metal‐selective chelation therapy. Deferasirox, 4‐[(3Z,5E)‐3,5‐bis(6‐oxo‐1‐cyclohexa‐2,4‐dienylidene)‐1,2,4‐triazolidin‐1‐yl]benzoic acid, Exjade, or ICL670, is used clinically to treat hemosiderosis (iron overload), which often results from multiple blood transfusions. Cyclodextrins are cyclic glucose units that are extensively used in the pharmaceutical industry as formulating agents as well as for encapsulating hydrophobic molecules such as in the treatment of Niemann–Pick type C or for hypervitaminosis. We conjugated deferasirox, via an amide coupling reaction, to both 6A‐amino‐6A‐deoxy‐β‐cyclodextrin and 3A‐amino‐3A‐deoxy‐2A(S),3A(S)‐β‐cyclodextrin, at the upper and lower rim, respectively, creating hybrid molecules with dual properties, capable of both metal chelation and cholesterol encapsulation. Our findings emphasize the importance of the conjugation of β‐cyclodextrin with deferasirox to significantly improve the biological properties and to decrease the cytotoxicity of this drug.