A Ru(II)-p-cymene compound bearing naproxen-pyridineamide. Synthesis, spectroscopic studies, computational analysis and in vitro anticancer activity against lung cells compared to Ru(II)-p-cymene-naproxen and the corresponding drug ligands

A new Ru(η6-p-cymene) bearing the naproxen-pyridineamide (Npxpya) is synthesized and characterized by ESI-MS, NMR, ATR/FT-IR, UV/VIS and DFT computational calculations. Photophysical properties, antiproliferative activity, effects on mitochondrial membrane potential and cell cycle arrest in lung cancer cells are reported. All data are compared with those of Ru(II)-p-cymene-naproxenate, and the Npxpya and naproxen drugs.