A series of thiolate gold(I) derivatives bearing water soluble phosphanes – namely sodium triphenylphosphane monosulfonate (TPPMS), sodium triphenylphosphane trisulfonate (TPPTS), 1,3,5-triaza-7-phosphaadamantane (PTA) and 3,7-diacetyl-1,3,7-triaza-5-phosphabicyclo[3.3.1]nonane (DAPTA) – is reported and the compounds studied for their luminescence properties in the solid state. Two of these derivatives, [Au(SMe₂pyrim)(PTA)] and [Au(SBenzoxazole)(DAPTA)], are also structurally characterized by X-ray diffraction analysis. Strong antiproliferative effects are observed for most of the compounds in the human ovarian carcinoma cell lines (A2780/S) and its cisplatin-resistant variant (A2780/R), which depend on both the type of thiolate and phosphane ligands. ICP-MS studies were also performed to evaluate the influence of the gold uptake on the cytotoxic potency of the compounds.

Alkyne gold(I) derivatives with the water soluble phosphanes PTA (1,3,5-triaza-7-phosphaadamantane) and DAPTA (3,7-diacetyl-1,3,7-triaza-5-phosphabicyclo[3.3.1]nonane) were described and their anticancer potential against the colon cancer cell line Caco-2 (PD7 and TC7 clones) was studied. Strong antiproliferative effects are found, for all the new complexes, to be even more pronounced than for the reference drug cisplatin, and similar to auranofin. The interaction of these derivatives with bovine serum albumin (BSA) was studied by fluorescence spectroscopy. The types of quenching and binding constants were determined by a fluorescence quenching method. Moderate values of the binding constants are calculated for the tested derivatives indicating that these complexes can be stored and carried easily by this protein in the body. The study of the thermodynamic parameters in the case of [Au(CCCH₂Spyridine)(PTA)] points out to the presence of van der Waals interactions or hydrogen bonding between the metallic complex and the protein. In addition, the complex [Au(CCCH₂Spyridine)(PTA)] has shown inhibition in colon cancer proliferation of HTC-116-luc2 cell lines via the apoptotic pathway and S-phase arrest of the cell cycle. Intraperitoneal injection of this derivative in athymic nude mice inoculated with HTC-116-luc2 cells prolonged their survival and displayed moderate inhibition of the tumour growth with no subsequent organ (kidney and liver) damage after treatment.