Fig. 5: Chemosensitivity response of a panel of human cancer and non-cancer cell lines to 96 h continuous exposure to self-assembling test compounds.

a, b The potency of compounds tested against cancer (HT-29, DLD-1, HCT116 p53+/+ and p53−/−, PSN1, MiaPaCa2, BxPC3, A549, H460 and GBM1) and non-cancer cells (ARPE-19, MCF10A and NP1). Each value represents the mean IC50 ± SD from a minimum of three independent experiments. The selectivity index (SI) for [L2Cu3]6+ (c) and [L2Zn3]6+ (d) for the indicated cancer cell lines; SI is defined as the mean IC50 against the particular non-cancer cell line model divided by the mean IC50 against the particular cancer cell line. SI values > 1 indicate that the test compound is more active against the particular cancer cell line than the corresponding non-cancer cells. As the SI value is calculated using the mean IC50 values, experimental error is not included in these figures. e IC50 values for the clinically approved platinates (cisplatin, oxaliplatin and carboplatin) and [L2Mn3]6+ (n = a minimum of three independent experiments and each value represents the mean IC50 ± SD from a minimum of three independent experiments) and f the corresponding SI results.