Abstract

THE SYNTHESIS AND CHARACTERIZATION OF SYNTHETIC NUCLEIC ACID POLYMERS DERIVED FROM GROUP 4 METALLOCENE DICHLORIDES AND THYMIDINE AS ANTICANCER AGENTS

Jessica Frank, Charles E. Carraher Jr.*, Michael R. Roner, Kimberly Shahi, Paul Slawek and Francesca Mosca

Abstract

Using the interfacial polymerization technique, synthetic nucleic acid polymers derived from Thymidine and Group 4 metallocene dichloride’s were formed in moderate yield and chain length. Products were synthesized using commercially available reagents for easy reproducibility. Structural characterization of polymers was carried out using Infrared Spectroscopy (IR), Matrix-assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization Mass Spectrometry (MALDI-MS), and X-Ray Diffraction (XRD). Light scattering Photometry was used to determine chain length. Polymers derived from thymidine and Group 4 metallocene’s (Titanium, Zirconium, Hafnium) exhibited good inhibition of a battery of human cancer cell lines including two breast, two pancreatic, and two glioblastoma brain cancer lines. All polymers tested were able to differentiate between healthy and malignant cells, showing excellent selectivity toward malignant cells.

Keywords: thymidine, Group 4 metallocene polymers, synthetic nucleic acids, pancreatic cancer, breast cancer, glioblastomas brain cancer, MALDI MS, interfacial polymerization.