Objective:
Cervical cancer is a malignancy originating from the cervix and often caused by oncogenic Human Papilloma Virus (HPV), specifically subtypes 16 and 18. Anticancer drugs are chemotherapeutic compounds used for cancer treatment. Therefore, this research aims to synthesize and characterize Zinc (II) dichloroethylenediamine (Zn(en)Cl
2
) complex, as well as determine its antiproliferative activity against HeLa cells. The Zn(en)Cl
2
complex was successfully synthesized, and the antiproliferative activity was tested.
Methods:
The synthesis involved reacting ethylenediamine and KCl with Zn metal. The complex formed was characterized using a conductometer, UV-Vis spectroscopy, FT-IR spectroscopy, and XRD, while the activity was measured against HeLa cells.
Result:
The synthesis yielded a 56.12% conversion with a melting point of 198-200
o
C and a conductivity value of 2.02 mS/cm. The Zn(en)Cl
2
complex showed potential activity against HeLa cells with an IC
50
value of 898.35 µg/mL, which was evidenced by changes in the morphological structure of HeLa cells. Its interaction with DNA targets was investigated by employing molecular docking.
Conclusion:
The observed data indicated that the Zn(en)Cl
2
complex bound to DNA at the nitrogenous base Guanine (DG) by coordinate covalent bonds. Interestingly, DG maintained interaction with the complex until the end of the docking simulation. Additionally, molecular dynamics (MD) simulation was conducted, and the results showed that Zn(en)Cl
2
remained bound to the DNA binding pocket all through the process.