The results revealed that the complexes, C1, C3 and C5, but not their counterparts, C2, C4 and C6, inhibited the chymotrypsin-like activity of the human cancer cellular 26S proteasome; in addition, these complexes promoted the accumulation of the proteasome target protein, Bax, inhibited cell growth and induced apoptosis in a concentration- and time-dependent manner due to their unique structures. Here, C2 is linked to cancer.