Quinoline-Conjugated Ruthenacarboranes: Toward Hybrid Drugs with a Dual Mode of Action

Abstract

The role of autophagy in cancer is often complex, ranging from tumor-promoting to -suppressing effects. In this study, two novel hybrid molecules were designed, containing a ruthenacarborane fragment conjugated with a known modulator of autophagy, namely a quinoline derivative. The complex closo-[3-(η6-p-cymene)-1-(quinolin-8-yl-acetate)-3,1,2-RuC2B9H10] (4) showed a dual mode of action against the LN229 (human glioblastoma) cell line, where it inhibited tumor-promoting autophagy, and strongly inhibited cell proliferation, de facto blocking cellular division. These results, together with the tendency to spontaneously form nanoparticles in aqueous solution, make complex 4 a very promising drug candidate for further studies in vivo, for the treatment of autophagy-prone glioblastomas.