Synthesis, characterization, HSA interaction, and antibacterial activity of a new water-soluble Pt(II) complex containing the drug cephalexin

Abstract

A new water-soluble platinum(II) complex, [Pt(CEX)Cl(DMSO)]Cl (CEX is cephalexin), was synthesized and characterized by physicochemical, spectroscopic, and computational methods. Multispectroscopic techniques were used to investigate the interaction of Pt(II) complex with human serum albumin (HSA) under the physiological conditions. The results of fluorescence titration indicated that the binding of the Pt(II) complex to HSA induced fluorescence quenching through static quenching mechanism with binding constant of 1.24 × 10⁴ M⁻¹ at 298 K. The thermodynamic parameters at different temperatures indicated that van der Waals forces, hydrogen bonds, and electrostatic forces play major roles in the stability of Pt(II) complex–HSA association. The displacement experiments using the site probes warfarin and ibuprofen substantiated that Pt(II) complex could bind to both site I and II of HSA. Furthermore, UV–Vis and fluorescence spectra were used to investigate the conformational changes of HSA molecule with the addition of Pt(II) complex. The binding constant of Pt(II) complex is more than two orders of magnitude higher than the corresponding value of cephalexin. These results indicate that the binding affinity of Pt(II) complex is stronger than the free drug. In addition, the antibacterial study showed that the MIC of platinum complex of cephalexin for variety of organisms was lower than free cephalexin.

GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT

Keywords:

• Cephalexin
• platinum(II) complex
• human serum albumin
• HSA interaction
• fluorescence quenching
• computational methods
• spectroscopic techniques

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.