Disulfide bond cleavage induced by a platinum(II) methionine complex

The cleavage of a disulfide bond and the redox equilibrium of thiol/disulfide are strongly related to the levels of glutathione (GSH)/oxidized glutathione (GSSG) or mixed disulfides in vivo. In this work, the cleavage of a disulfide bond in GSSG induced by a platinum(II) complex [Pt(Met)Cl ₂] (where Met = methionine) was studied and the cleavage fragments or their platinated adducts were identified by means of electrospray mass spectrometry, high-performance liquid chromatography, and ultraviolet techniques. The second-order rate constant for the reaction between [Pt(Met)Cl₂] and GSSG was determined to be 0.4 M^-1 s ^-1 at 310 K and pH 7.4, which is 100- and 12-fold faster than those of cisplatin and its monoaqua species, respectively. Different complexes were formed in the reaction of [Pt(Met)Cl₂] with GSSG, mainly mono- and dinuclear platinum complexes with the cleavage fragments of GSSG. This study demonstrated that [Pt(Met)Cl₂] can promote the cleavage of disulfide bonds. The mechanistic insight obtained from this study may provide a deeper understanding on the potential involvement of platinum complexes in the intracellular GSH/GSSG systems.