Organotin derivatives of cholic acid induce apoptosis into breast cancer cells and interfere with mitochondrion; Synthesis, characterization and biological evaluation.

Organotin(IV) derivatives of cholic acid (CAH) with the formulae R3Sn(CA) (R = Ph- (1), n-Bu- (2)) and R2Sn(CA)2 (R = Ph- (3), n-Bu- (4) and Me- (5)) were synthesized. The compounds were characterized in solid state by melting point, FT-IR, 119Sn Mössbauer, X-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectroscopy and in solution by 1H NMR, UV-Vis spectral data and by Electrospray Ionisation Mass spectrometry (ESI-MS), High Resolution Mass spectrometry (HRMS), and atomic absorption analysis. The in vitro bioactivity of 1-5 against human breast adenocarcinoma cancer cells MCF-7 (positive to hormone receptors) and MDA-MB-231 (negative to hormone receptors) reveal that triorganotin derivatives 1-2 exhibit significantly stronger activity than the corresponding diorganotin ones. Compound 5 is inactive against both cell lines at the concentrations tested. Triorganotins 1-2 inhibit selectively MCF-7 than MDA-MB-231 cells, suggesting hormone mimetic behavior of them. Organotins 1-4 inhibit both cancerous cell lines, stronger than cisplatin which rise up to 55-fold against MCF-7 and 170-fold against MDA-MB-231. The in vitro toxicity of 1-4 was evaluated on normal human fetal lung fibroblast cells (MRC-5), while their genotoxicity in vitro by micronucleus assay (MN). Moreover, the in vivo toxicity of 1-4 was tested by Artemia salina assay and their in vivo genotoxicity with Allium cepa test. The mechanism of action of 1-4 against MCF-7 was clarified in vitro by the means of cell morphology studies, cell cycle arrest, Acridine Orange/Ethidium Bromide (AO/EB) Staining, mitochondrial membrane permeabilization test and by their binding affinity toward the calf thymus (CT) DNA.