Transition metal complexes of α-aminophosphonates part II: Synthesis, spectroscopic characterization, and in vitro anticancer activity of copper(II) complexes of α-aminophosphonates

A one pot procedure was used to synthesize two new derivatives of alpha-aminophosphonates. Novel copper(II) complexes of alpha-aminophosphonates were synthesized by coordinating different copper salts with the newly synthesized alpha-aminophosphonates. Their structures were characterized by different spectral and analytical techniques. Evaluation of the metal-free ligands HL1, HL2, and their Cu(II) complexes against human colon carcinoma HT-29 cell lines was performed, using cisplatin as a reference drug. The results indicated that the complexes of the ligand HL1 exhibited enhanced anticancer activity, while ligand HL2 complexes showed decreased anticancer activity.