Cu(II) Coordination Polymer Inhibits Liver Cancer Development via Targeting BCL-2 Protein and Activating Apoptotic Pathway

Abstract

In the current study, a Cu(II) coordination polymer (CP) has been created in success with the solvothermal reaction between an asymmetrical rigid N-heterocyclic carboxylatic acid (HL) and Cu(NO3)2·3H2O in the existence of 1,3-H2bdc, the second assistant ligand (in which 1,3-H2bdc is benzene-1,3-dicarboxylic acid and HL is 1-(4-carboxylphenyl)-3-(prazin-2-yl)-1H-1,2,4-triazole), and the chemical composition of this compound is [Cu2(L)2(1,3-bdc)(H2O)2]n (1). In the biological aspect, we screened the antiproliferation activity of the Cu(II) coordination polymer on five kinds of human cancer cell lines. IC50 and MTT assay results indicated that complex 1 had a spectral antiproliferative activity against liver cancer cells, peculiarly on human HepG2 liver cancer cells. From the data of Annexin V-FITC/PI assay and ROS detection, we can find that complex 1 exerts an antitumor effect by inducing ROS generation and cell apoptosis. Caspase-3 and caspase-9 activity detection revealed that activation of caspase-3 and caspase-9 plays vital roles in HepG2 cell apoptosis. These outcomes indicate that 1 is an excellent compound in treating cancer.