ANTITUMOR-ACTIVITY OF TITANOCENE AMINO-ACID COMPLEXES

Seven ionic titanocene alpha-amino acid (aa) complexes [(C5H5)(2)Ti(aa )(2)](2+) [X](-)(2) with aa = glycine, L-alanine, 2-methylalanine, D-L -phenylalanine, D,L-4-fluorophenylalanine and X = Cl or AsF6, were inv estigated for antitumor activity against fluid Ehrlich ascites tumor g rowing in CF1 mice, These complexes are the first stable model compoun ds of titanocene units with protein components, synthesized from a wat er-like, methanolic medium, All titanocene amino acid complexes induce d antitumor activity which was manifested by maximum cure rates rangin g from 30 to 70% and increases in life span from 78 to 276% in compari son with untreated control animals, The complexes containing chloride as anion X were more effective than the hexafluoroarsenate derivatives , which surprisingly showed a low substance toxicity, In all cases, th e antitumor activity of the ionic titanocene aminoacid complexes teste d was less pronounced than that of the neutral parent compound [(C5H5) (2)TiCl2].