Inhibition of cell proliferation by azolium salts and silver(I)-N-heterocyclic carbene complexes: Synthesis, spectral and X-ray crystallographic characterizations

Abstract

The study focuses on the synthesis, characterization, and evaluation of silver (I)-N-heterocyclic carbene complexes for their inhibitory effect on cell proliferation. The benzimidazolium salts (3–5) and their respective silver complexes (6–8) were synthesized and characterized by various techniques including FTIR, NMR and X-ray crystallography. The salts and complexes were then evaluated for their ability to inhibit the proliferation of four different cancer cell lines (EA.hy926, HeLa, MDA-MB-231 and A549). MTT assay demonstrated that the salts and complexes exhibited potent cytotoxicity towards all cancer lines. The study highlights the importance of N-heterocyclic carbene ligands in the development of silver-based drugs with anticancer properties.