Cytotoxic Effects of Mono- and Trinuclear Platinum(II)-N-Heterocyclic Carbene Complexes against Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Cell Lines.

Platinum(II) complexes with N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) ligands have been demonstrated as intriguing and promising foundations to construct novel metal-based anticancer drugs. To the best of our knowledge, there is no report of trinuclear Pt-NHC complexes showcasing cytotoxicity toward cancer cells. Herein, we introduce the synthesis and characterization of the first examples of trinuclear platinum(II) complexes possessing a tris-NHC ligand, along with the corresponding mononuclear complexes. The cytotoxicity assessment of these complexes is explored against three breast cancer cell lines, 4T1, MDA-MB-231, and MCF-7, and a liver cancer cell line, Hep G2, and the results are compared with values obtained for the standard platinum drug cisplatin.