Investigation of the Cytotoxicity of Metal Complexes with Thiouracil Derivatives

This study investigates the cytotoxic properties of metal complexes incorporating thio-uracil de-rivatives, specifically 2,4-dithiouracil and 6-propyl-2-thiouracil. The research focuses on the cyto-toxic effects of Cu(II) and Pd(II) complexes with 6-propyl-2-thiouracil, as well as mixed-ligand transition metal Cu(II) and Au(III) complexes of 2,4-dithiouracil with 2-thiouracil and uracil. Cy-totoxic activity was assessed against human cervical carcinoma cells (HeLa) and normal kidney cells from the African green monkey. The results demonstrated that incorporating Cu(II) and Au(III) into the compound structures significantly enhanced their cytotoxic effects. Notably, all tested complexes exhibited a stronger inhibitory effect on cancer cell proliferation compared to normal cells, with the gold(III) complex of 6-propyl-2-thiouracil showing the lowest CD50 value against the tumor cell line. These findings suggest that thio-uracil-based metal complexes, partic-ularly those containing gold(III), hold significant potential for further development as anticancer agents.