Nitrosonium Cation as a Cytotoxic Component of Dinitrosyl Iron Complexes with Thiol-containing Ligands (based on the Experimental Work on MCF7 Human Breast Cancer Cell Culture)

Here we demonstrate that binuclear dinitrosyl iron complexes with thiol-containing ligands (glutathione and mercaptosuccinate, B-DNIC-GSH and B-DNIC-MS, respectively) exert cytotoxic effects on MCF7 human breast cancer cells. We showed that they are mediated by nitrosonium cations released from these complexes (NO+). This finding is supported by the cytotoxic effect of both B-DNICs on MCF7 cells evidenced to retain or was even promoted in the presence of N-Methyl-D-glucamine dithiocarbamate (MGD). MGD recruits an iron nitrosyl group [Fe(NO)] from the iron-dinitrosyl fragment [Fe(NO)2] of B-DNIC-MS forming stable mononitrosyl complexes of iron with MGD and releasing NO+ cations from a [Fe(NO)2] fragment.