Palladium(II) Complex Induces Apoptosis through ROS-Mediated Mitochondrial Pathway in Human Lung Adenocarcinoma Cell Line (A549)

Treatment for lung cancer is still far from satisfactory. Therefore, there is a call for novel anticancer agents. In the present study, the anticancer activity of [Pd(L)Cl], 1a complex towards A549 human lung adenocarcinoma cells was investigated. [Pd(L)Cl], 1a inhibited the growth of A549 cells in a time and dosedependent manner. The IC50 value was 10 μM after 24 h treatment. Flow cytometric analyses revealed a dose-related increase in the percentages of cells in the Sub-G0/G1 state, indicative of apoptosis which was further confirmed by Annexin V binding assay, via a ROS-mediated mitochondria-dependent pathway. Western blot analysis showed that 1a complex induced Bax expression to desintegrate the outer mitochondrial membrane and causing cytochrome c release, associated with the activation of caspase-3. All of these signal transduction pathways are involved in initiating apoptosis. [Pd(L)Cl], 1a seems to represent a potentially active drug against non-small cell lung cancer A549 cell line in vitro, and further studies in vivo are warranted.