A hybrid platinum drug dichloroacetate-platinum(II) overcomes cisplatin drug resistance through dual organelle targeting.

A hybrid drug dichloroacetate-platinum(II) [DCA-Pt(II)] was found to overcome cisplatin drug resistance of ovarian cancer through a dual targeting mode, which is different from the mode of action of the present platinum (Pt) drugs used in clinics. DCA-Pt(II) exhibited remarkable cytotoxicity against both cisplatin-sensitive (A2780) and cisplatin-resistant (A2780DDP) ovarian cancer cells. The Pt and Pt-DNA adduct content test showed that there was less Pt cellular uptake and fewer Pt-DNA adducts were present after DCA-Pt(II) treatment compared with treatment with cisplatin, carboplatin, and some other drugs. In the study, the effects of DCA-Pt(II) on the cell cycle and apoptosis were also investigated, which showed that DCA-Pt(II) induced G2/M phase arrest and mitochondria-mediated apoptosis in both sensitive and resistant cells lines. Interestingly, DCA-Pt(II) had much greater effects on mitochondria in A2780DDP cell lines than in A2780 cell lines.