IN-VITRO CYTOTOXIC PROPERTIES OF GOLD(I) AND PLATINUM(II) COMPOUNDS CONTAINING ASYMMETRIC [2-(METHYLSULFINYL)ETHYL]DIPHENYLARSINE AND ITS PHOSPHORUS ANALOG

The preparation of novel gold(I) compounds [ClAu(Ph(2)ECH(2)CH(2)S(O)Me] (1 for E = As, 2 for E = P) containing the optically active and racemic forms of asymmetric Ph(2)ECH(2)CH(2)S(O)Me ligands is described. In both solid state and solution, the ligands behave as monodentates that coordinate to gold via arsenic or phosphorus. In vitro cytotoxicity evaluation in three human tumour models (Molt 4, Raji and CEM) showed the optically active and racemic forms of 2 to be remarkably potent. With the exception of the CEM tumour cells, (R)- and (S)-2 displayed much higher potency than the corresponding gold-arsine analogues. In contrast, the optically active dichloro-platinum(II) compounds [Cl2Pt(Ph(2)ECH(2)CH(2)S(O)Me] (3 for E = As, 4 for E = P) displayed negligible activities.