Vanadium complexes with different ligands were synthesized and evaluated for antiproliferative activity on U937 cells. The alkyl chain length of the ligands affected the antiproliferative activity, and two complexes—3b and 4—exhibited strong activities with IC 50 values of 6.02 and 3.90 μM respectively. Annexin V staining and DNA ladder formation indicated that these complexes induced apoptosis in U937 cells.
[Ellis, Beverley L.; Duhme, Anne K.; Hider, Robert C.; Hossain, M. Bilayet; Rizvi, Safia; Van Der Helm, Dick Journal of Medicinal Chemistry, 1996 , vol. 39, # 19 p. 3659 - 3670]