Equilibrium and kinetic studies of iron(II) and iron(III) complexes of some alpha (N)-heterocyclic thiosemicarbazones. Reduction of the iron(III) complexes of 2-formylpyridine thiosemicarbazone and 2-acetylpyridine thiosemicarbazone by cellular thiol-like reducing agents.

alpha (N)-heterocyclic thiosemicarbazones have been shown to possess antitumor properties in mammalian cells through the inhibition of DNA synthesis; the ability to provide the inhibitory action is probably due to coordination of iron. This paper deals with equilibrium and kinetic studies involving 2-formylpyridine thiosemicarbazone (HFPT) and 2-acetylpyridine thiosemicarbazone (HAPT) coordinated to Fe(II) and Fe(III) cations in aqueous solution. The formation constants of all species present in equilibrium were determined. Kinetic measurements of the reduction of the Fe(III) complex of both ligands by thiolic reducing agents, that can act as structural models of cellular thiols, i.e., N-acetyl-L-cysteine (ACCIS) and dithiothreitol (DTT), were carried out. The experimental data lead to a rate law of the type v = k1[A] + k2[A] [B], where [A] represents the concentration of the complex and [B] that of the reducing agent, indicating the coexistence of two reaction pathways. One pathway depends only on the complex concentration and occurs even in the absence of the reducing agent, and the other involves both the complex and ACCIS or DTT.