Evaluation of the metal-dependent cytotoxic behaviour of coordination compounds.

The [Cu(L)Cl-2](2) and [Pt(L)Cl-2] complexes were prepared from the simple Schiff-base ligand (E)-phenyl-N-((pyridin-2-yl)methylene)methanamine (L) and respectively, CuCl2 and cis-[PtCl2(DMSO)(2)]. DNA-interaction studies revealed that the copper complex most likely acts as a DNA cleaver whereas the platinum complex binds to the double helix. Remarkably, cell-viability experiments with HeLa, MCF7 and PC3 cells showed that [Cu(L)Cl-2](2) is an efficient cytotoxic agent whereas [Pt(L)Cl-2] is not toxic, illustrating the crucial role played by the nature of the metal ion in the corresponding biological activity.