Anti-Cancer Potential of Copper-NTB Complex via Damaging Cellular Organelles and Apoptosis in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Therapy

Journal article, 2025

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is a heterogeneous and one of the most common cancers characterized by diverse histological subtypes, molecular profiles, and clinical outcomes, especially in women. In this investigation, the development of copper(Cu)-tris((1H-benzo[d]imidazol-2-yl)methyl)amine (NTB) or [Cu(NTB)(OH2)](ClO4)2 complex was initiated and further characterized by UV-visible spectroscopy, IR, and 1H NMR spectroscopy to understand the physicochemical properties of the Cu-NTB complex. The Cu-NTB complex was further explored to determine the anti-cancer effectiveness against MDA-MB-231 TNBC cells and showed an IC50 value of 5.60 mu g/mL when compared with cisplatin (i.e., 6.95 mu g/mL). In addition, the investigation further explored 4 and 8 mu g/mL concentrations of Cu-NTB complex treatment in cancer cells to understand the DNA damage and apoptosis via TUNEL assay, Hoechst and PI staining, LysoTracker, and MitoTracker assays. Moreover, the maximum concentration of the Cu-NTB complex, i.e., 8 mu g/mL treatment disrupted cellular organelle, which was further confirmed through transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Altogether, this investigation further establishes the potential apoptosis effect of the Cu-NTB complex in MDA-MB-231 TNBC cells; further studies are required to establish the efficacy in preclinical and clinical models.