The antitumor effect and toxicity of a ruthenium(II) complex in vivo

The toxicity and antitumor activity of a ruthenium(II) complex [Ru(dmp)2(ipad)](ClO4)2 (Ru1) was evaluated. In vivo experiments demonstrated that Ru1 dose-dependently inhibited growth of a human liver carcinoma cell line (BEL-7402) that was xenotransplanted into nude mice. TUNEL assays showed that Ru1 induced apoptosis in tumor tissue cells. However, a toxicological examination indicated that high doses of Ru1 can cause kidney damage and lead to elevated levels of serum creatinine. In addition, Ru1 appeared to be genotoxic and hematologically toxic in a dose-dependent manner. The obtained results provided basic information regarding the further design of ruthenium(II) antitumor drugs.