The reactions of CuCl₂·2H₂O with chromone thiosemicarbazone ligands containing a –H or –CH₃ substituent on terminal N yielded monometallic Cu(II) complexes [Cu(HL1)Cl₂] (1) and [Cu(HL2)Cl₂] (2), whereas bimetallic Cu(II) complexes [Cu(μ-Cl)(HL3)]₂Cl₂ (3), [Cu(μ-Cl)(HL4)]₂Cl₂ (4) and [Cu(μ-Cl)(L5)]₂ (5) were obtained when a –C₂H₅, –C₆H₁₁ or –C₆H₅ substituent was present, respectively, in the ligands. The complexes were characterized using elemental analyses, UV-Vis, FT-IR, EPR, mass and TGA studies. The structures of neutral monometallic and dicationic bimetallic complexes were confirmed by single crystal X-ray diffraction, and they exhibited a distorted square pyramidal geometry around Cu(II) ions. The catecholase-mimicking activity of complexes 1–5 was examined spectrophotometrically, and the results revealed that all the complexes except 5 had the ability to oxidize 3,5-di-tert-butylcatechol (3,5-DTBC) to 3,5-di-tert-butylquinone (3,5-DTBQ) under aerobic conditions with moderate turnover numbers. In order to find the possible complex–substrate intermediates, a mass spectrometry study was carried out for complexes 1–4 in the presence of 3,5-DTBC. The phosphatase-like activity of 1–5 was also investigated using 4-nitrophenylphosphate (4-NPP) as a model substrate. All the complexes exhibited excellent phosphatase activity in DMF-H₂O medium. The complexes displayed significant biomolecular interactions and antioxidant potential. Complex 3 showed good interaction with apoptotic CASP3 protein, VEGFR2 and PIM-1 kinase receptors as revealed by a molecular docking study. Complexes (3–5) exhibited promising cytotoxicity against HeLa-cervical cancer cells with IC₅₀ values of 2.24 (3), 2.25 (4) and 3.77 (5) μM, respectively, and showed a two-fold higher activity than cisplatin. The active complex 3 showed complete inhibition of colony formation at 10 μM concentration. In addition, the acridine orange (AO)/ethidium bromide (EB) staining and real-time live cell imaging results confirmed that complex 3 induced cell death in HeLa cells.

Background/Aim: This study aimed to investigate the effect of a new 7-(4-(N-substituted carbamoylmethyl) piperazin-1-yl) ciprofloxacin-derivative on the proliferation and migration abilities of HeLa cells. Materials and Methods: Cell viability and morphological alterations were examined. Changes in migration were detected using wound healing and colony formation assays. Flow cytometry and western blotting were used to investigate the molecular mechanisms underlying this ciprofloxacin-derivative's action in HeLa cells. Results: The examined ciprofloxacin-derivative reduced viability of HeLa cells in a concentration-dependent manner and altered cellular morphology, indicating cell death. Furthermore, it significantly inhibited wound closure, even in a non-cytotoxic concentration, and reduced HeLa cell colony formation. In addition, apoptosis was increased probably through significant up-regulation of Bax protein expression and the generation of active cleaved caspase-3 protein. Conclusion: Our new derivative inhibits proliferation and induces apoptosis of HeLa cells. Furthermore, it suppressed the migration and colony formation abilities of HeLa cells. Therefore, it represents an attractive agent for drug development against cervical cancer based on its anti-metastatic effect.