Platinum(IV) prodrugs incorporating an indole-based derivative, 5-benzyloxyindole-3-acetic acid in the axial position exhibit prominent anticancer activity

Kinetically inert platinum(IV) complexes are a chemical strategy to overcome the impediments of standard platinum(II) antineoplastic drugs like cisplatin, oxaliplatin and carboplatin. In this study, we reported the syntheses and structural characterisation of three platinum(IV) complexes that incorporate 5-benzyloxyindole-3-acetic acid, a bioactive ligand that integrates an indole pharmacophore. The purity and chemical structures of the resultant complexes, P-5B3A, 5-5B3A and 56-5B3A were confirmed via spectroscopic means. The complexes were evaluated for anticancer activity against multiple human cell lines. All complexes proved to be considerably more active than cisplatin, oxaliplatin and carboplatin in most cell lines tested. Remarkably, 56-5B3A demonstrated the greatest anticancer activity, displaying GI50 values between 1.2 and 150 nM. Enhanced production of reactive oxygen species paired with the decline in mitochondrial activity as well as inhibition of histone deacetylase were also demonstrated by the complexes in HT29 colon cells.