Characterization of the Activities of Dinuclear Thiolato-Bridged Arene Ruthenium Complexes against Toxoplasma gondii.

The effects of 18 dinuclear thiolato-bridged arene ruthenium complexes (1 monohiolato compound, 4 dithiolato compounds, and 13 trithiolato compounds), originally designed as anticancer agents, on the apicomplexan parasite grown in human foreskin fibroblast (HFF) host cells were studied. Some trithiolato compounds exhibited antiparasitic efficacy at concentrations of 250 nM and below. Among those, complex 1 and complex 2 inhibited proliferation with 50% inhibitory concentrations (ICs) of 34 and 62 nM, respectively, and they did not affect HFFs at dosages of 200 μM or above, resulting in selectivity indices of >23,000. The ICs of complex 9 were 1.2 nM for and above 5 μM for HFFs. Transmission electron microscopy detected ultrastructural alterations in the matrix of the parasite mitochondria at the early stages of treatment, followed by a more pronounced destruction of tachyzoites. However, none of the three compounds applied at 250 nM for 15 days was parasiticidal. By affinity chromatography using complex 9 coupled to epoxy-activated Sepharose followed by mass spectrometry, translation elongation factor 1α and two ribosomal proteins, RPS18 and RPL27, were identified to be potential binding proteins. In conclusion, organometallic ruthenium complexes exhibit promising activities against , and the potential mechanisms of action of these compounds as well as their prospective applications for the treatment of toxoplasmosis are discussed.