In vitro apoptosis-induction, antiproliferative and BSA binding studies of a oxidovanadium(V) complex

[Display omitted] •Novel oxidovanadium complexes viz. [VVO(OCH3)(hpdbal-sbdt)] (1) and [{VVO(hpdbal-sbdt)}2μ−O] (2) have been synthesized.•The complex 2 exhibited in vitro antiproliferative and apoptosis induction activity against MCF-7 and A549 cancer cells.•The bioactive compound 2 was found to be stable at physiological pH environment.•Compound 2 interacted with BSA protein in a facile manner without significantly disrupting its secondary structure. In our ongoing efforts to develop novel trace metal complexes with therapeutically interesting properties, a neutral mono nuclear oxidomethoxidovanadium(V) complex, [VVO(OCH3)(hpdbal-sbdt)] (1) and a μ-O bridged dinuclear oxidovanadium(V) complex, [{VVO(hpdbal-sbdt)}2μ−O] (2) [H2hpdbal-sbdt (I) is a tridentate and dibasic ONS2― donor ligand obtained through the Schiff base reaction of 2-hydroxy-5-(phenyldiazenyl)benzaldehyde (Hhpdbal) and S-benzyldithiocarbazate (Hsbdt)] have been synthesized and characterized by various analytical techniques such as TGA, EDS, ATR-IR, UV–Vis, CV, 1H NMR, 13C NMR and 51V NMR. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis of 1 confirms the coordination of phenolate oxygen, imine nitrogen and thioenolate sulfur of the ligand to the vanadium center with a distorted tetragonal-pyramidal geometry. The compound 2 triggered apoptotic and reproductive death of the cancer cells in vitro with 76% and 62% growth inhibition of human breast adenocarcinoma (MCF-7) and human lung carcinoma cells (A549) respectively. The compound 2 was found to be sufficiently stable over a wide window of physiological pH. The complex 2 was studied further for its interaction with a drug carrier protein BSA with the aid of spectroscopic techniques viz. fluorescence, temperature controlled UV–vis and deconvoluted IR techniques.