Synthesis, crystal structures, DNA interaction and anticancer activity of organobismuth(V) complexes

We have synthesized three novel organobismuth(V) complexes Ph 3 Bi(OOCC 6 H 3 F 2 ) 2 1 , Ph 3 Bi(OOCC 6 H 4 CF 3 ) 2 2 and Ph 3 Bi(OOCC 4 H 3 S) 2 3 , and their structures were characterized by IR spectroscopy, elemental analysis, 1 H NMR and single crystal X-ray diffraction. X-ray crystallography showed that all of the bismuth atoms adopt distorted trigonal–bipyramidal geometries. The complex molecules lead to one-dimensional chain structure and two-dimensional network structure through C–H…X (X   =   O, F, C) interactions. The interaction of the complex 1 with calf-thymus DNA (CT-DNA) was investigated by UV absorption spectroscopy, fluorescence emission spectroscopy and viscosity. All results revealed that the complex 1 binds to DNA via a intercalative mode. Furthermore the proliferation inhibitory activities of the three complexes on MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells were investigated. The results indicated that all of the three complexes have superior inhibition of cellular proliferation.