Redox-active first-row transition metal complexes of metformin: Structure, DNA binding and therapeutic potential

Key Points

• To investigate the structure and DNA binding characteristics of redox-active metformin metal complexes and their potential therapeutic applications.
• Synthesis of metformin and its metal complexes.
• Assessment of DNA binding affinity using spectroscopic methods.
• Evaluation of antitumor efficacy in cell line models.
• Metformin metal complexes demonstrated significant DNA binding with a binding affinity of 1.5 µM (95% CI: 1.1-1.9 µM, p<0.01).
• Antitumor activity showed an IC50 of 20 µM (95% CI: 15-25 µM, p<0.05) in cancer cell lines.