Electrochemical synthesis and anticancer inhibitory effect of copper(II)-diclofenac/decanoic acid complexes on MCF 7 breast cancer cells

Abstract

In this study, the Cu(II)-diclofenac/decanoic acid (Cu(II)-DF/DA) (copper(II) 2-[2-(2,6-dichloroanilino)phenyl]acetamide-decanoate) complex was synthesised using the electrochemical method by oxidising a Cu anode to release Cu²⁺ ions, with graphite and potassium nitrate (KNO₃) serving as the cathode and supporting electrolyte, respectively. The synthesised Cu(II)-DF/DA complex underwent characterisation using ATR-FTIR, NMR, XRD and UV-Vis, confirming the success of the electrochemical synthesis. Surface morphology and particle size analyses using FESEM and TEM revealed that the synthesised Cu(II)-DF/DA complex possesses a thread-like structure with an average particle size of 1.77 nm ± 4.77 nm.  Subsequently, the synthesised complex was used to assess the anticancer inhibitory effects on human breast cancer (MCF 7) and normal human breast epithelial (MCF 10A) cells. The treatment of MCF 7 cancer cells with Cu(II)-DF/DA at concentrations of 25 μmol L⁻¹ and 100 μmol L⁻¹ resulted in a significant reduction in cell viability, with only 18% and 7% of cells remaining viable after 72 hours, respectively. In contrast, nearly 90% of MCF 10A cells remained viable at comparable concentrations. This suggests that the synthesised Cu(II)-DF/DA shows potential as an effective and selective anticancer agent, being toxic to cancer cells while displaying lower toxicity to normal cells.