Bisursodeoxycholate(ethylenediamine)platinum(II): a new autofluorescent compound. Cytotoxic activity and cell cycle analysis in ovarian and hematological cell lines

The present paper describes for the first time an intrinsic fluorescent square-planar platinum(II) complex carrying two ursodeoxycholate ligands ([Pt(UDC)(2)(en)], where UDC- = ursodeoxycholate), that emits at room temperature once free in solution. Kinetic studies were carried out in aqueous solution and in the presence of different NaCl concentrations: 4 mM (similar to cytoplasmic concentration) and 150 mM (similar to plasmatic concentration). This novel compound was synthesized from a [PtCl2(en)] complex and shows increased cytotoxic activity against both resting and cycling HeLa cells, with no toxicity for cell lines derived from neoplastic haematopoietic cells.