LAUSR

The present experimental work applied coherent synchrotron-radiation THz spectroscopy and inelastic neutron scattering to address two processes directly associated with the mode of action of metal-based anticancer agents, that can severely undermine chemotherapeutic treatment: drug binding to human serum albumin, occurring during intravenous drug transport, and intracellular coordination to thiol-containing biomolecules (such as metallothioneins), associated with acquired drug resistance. Cisplatin and two dinuclear Pt- and Pd-polyamine agents developed by this research group, which have yielded promising results towards some types of human cancers, were investigated. Complementary SR-THz and INS data revealed protein metallation, through S- and N-donor ligands from cysteine, methionine and histidine residues. A clear impact of the Pt- and Pd-agents was evidenced, drug-binding to albumin and metallothionein having been responsible for significant changes in the overall protein conformation, as well as for an increased flexibility and possible aggregation.