A Family of Rhodium Complexes with Selective Toxicity towards Mismatch Repair-Deficient Cancers

Abstract

Rhodium metalloinsertors are a unique set of metal complexes that bind specifically to DNA base pair mismatches in vitro and kill mismatch repair (MMR)-deficient cells at lower concentrations than their MMR-proficient counterparts. A family of metalloinsertors containing rhodium–oxygen ligand coordination, termed “Rh–O” metalloinsertors, has been prepared and shown to have a significant increase in both overall potency and selectivity toward MMR-deficient cells regardless of structural changes in the ancillary ligands. Here we describe DNA-binding and cellular studies with the second generation of Rh–O metalloinsertors in which an ancillary ligand is varied in both steric bulk and lipophilicity. These complexes, of the form [Rh(L)(chrysi)(PPO)]^(2+), all include the O-containing PPO ligand (PPO = 2-(pyridine-2-yl)propan-2-ol) and the aromatic inserting ligand chrysi (5,6-chrysene quinone diimine) but differ in the identity of their ancillary ligand L, where L is a phenanthroline or bipyridyl derivative. The Rh–O metalloinsertors in this family all show micromolar binding affinities for a 29-mer DNA hairpin containing a single CC mismatch. The complexes display comparable lipophilic tendencies and pK_a values of 8.1–9.1 for dissociation of an imine proton on the chrysi ligand. In cellular proliferation and cytotoxicity assays with MMR-deficient cells (HCT116O) and MMR-proficient cells (HCT116N), the complexes containing the phenanthroline-derived ligands show highly selective cytotoxic preference for the MMR-deficient cells at nanomolar concentrations. Using mass spectral analyses, it is shown that the complexes are taken into cells through a passive mechanism and exhibit low accumulation in mitochondria, an off-target organelle that, when targeted by parent metalloinsertors, can lead to nonselective cytotoxicity. Overall, these Rh–O metalloinsertors have distinct and improved behavior compared to previous generations of parent metalloinsertors, making them ideal candidates for further therapeutic assessment.