Investigating the Antibacterial and Antitumoral Activities of New Copper(II) Complexes with Trifluoromethyluracil Isomers.

New copper(II) complexes, derived from the isomers 5‐(trifluoromethyl)uracil (L1) and 6‐(trifluoromethyl)uracil (L2) with 2,2′‐bipyridine (Bpy), [Cu(H2O)(L1)2Bpy] and [Cu(H2O)(L2)2Bpy], were synthesized, characterized, and evaluated for their antibacterial and antitumoral properties. Chemical analyses suggest the molecular formula CuC20H12F6N6O4·H2O for both complexes. Infrared spectroscopic analyses indicate that trifluoromethyluracil isomers coordinate to copper(II) by the oxygen atoms. Structural confirmation of the [Cu(H2O)(L2)2Bpy] complex was obtained by single crystal X‐ray diffraction, where two L2 molecules coordinate to the copper(II) ion by both oxygen atoms from carbonyl groups. The complexes demonstrated antibacterial activity against Gram‐positive Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus cereus, and Gram‐negative Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Escherichia coli strains. The [Cu(H2O)(L1)2Bpy] complex exhibited the most promising results against P. aeruginosa, with a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) value of 0.478 mmol L−1. The [Cu(H2O)(L1)2Bpy] complex demonstrated antiproliferative effects on U251 and MCF‐7 cells, with GI50 values (concentration that inhibits 50% of cell growth) of 2.18 ± 1.17 and 16.00 ± 10.07 µmol·L−1, whereas the [Cu(H2O)(L2)2Bpy] complex inhibited the growth of FaDu and U251 cells (GI50 values 4.70 ± 2.69 µmol·L−1 and 9.06 ± 3.86 µmol·L−1, respectively). Neither the precursors nor the copper(II) complexes affected the structure of CT‐DNA at the evaluated concentrations, suggesting that DNA is not the main cellular target of the complexes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]