Anionic chlorido(triphenyl)tin(IV) bearing N-phthaloylglycinato or 1,2,4-benzenetricarboxylato 1,2-anhydride ligands: potential cytotoxic and apoptosis-inducing agents against several types of cancer.

Two ionic triphenyltin(IV) chloride carboxylate compounds of the formula [NHEt3 ][Ph3 SnCl(L)] [LH = N-phthaloylglycine (P-GlyH), 1; 1,2,4-benzenetricarboxylic 1,2-anhydride (BTCH), 2] were tested for the in vitro activity against 518A2 (melanoma), FaDu (head and neck carcinoma), HT-29 (colon cancer), MCF-7 (breast carcinoma), and SW1736 (thyroid cancer) cell lines. The ammonium salts of the carboxylic acids are found to be not active, while anionic [Ph3 SnCl(L)]- exhibited high cytotoxicity in nM range, both higher activity and selectivity than cisplatin. Compounds 1 and 2 are inducing apoptosis, which was proved with the morphological and biochemical features such as membrane blebbing, translocation of phosphatidylserine, and DNA fragmentation. Thus, accumulation of cells in sub-G1 phase is observed. Both anionic organotin(IV) compounds showed potent cytotoxic and apoptotic properties against five cancer cell lines of various histogenetic origin.