Structural Determination of Lysine-Linked Cisplatin Complexes via IRMPD Action Spectroscopy: NNs and NO– Binding Modes of Lysine to Platinum Coexist

Despite its success as an anticancer drug, cisplatin suffers from resistance and produces side effects. To overcome these limitations, amino-acid-linked cisplatin analogues have been investigated. Lysine-linked cisplatin, Lysplatin, (Lys)­PtCl2, exhibited outstanding reactivity toward DNA and RNA that differs from that of cisplatin. To gain insight into its differing reactivity, the structure of Lysplatin is examined here using infrared multiple photon dissociation (IRMPD) action spectroscopy. To probe the influence of the local chemical environment on structure, the deprotonated and sodium-cationized Lysplatin complexes are examined. Electronic structure calculations are performed to explore possible modes of binding of Lys to Pt, their relative stabilities, and to predict their infrared spectra. Comparisons of the measured IRMPD and predicted IR spectra elucidate the structures contributing to the experimental spectra. Coexistence of two modes of binding of Lys to Pt is found where Lys binds via the backbone and side-chain amino nitrogen atoms, NNs, or to the backbone amino and carboxylate oxygen atoms, NO–. Glycine-linked cisplatin and arginine-linked cisplatin complexes have previously been found to bind only via the NO– binding mode. Present results suggest that the NNs binding conformers may be key to the outstanding reactivity of Lysplatin toward DNA and RNA.