Novel Benzyl- or 4-Cyanobenzyl-Substituted N-Heterocyclic (Bromo)(carbene)silver(I) and (Carbene)(chloro)gold(I) Complexes: Synthesis and Preliminary Cytotoxicity Studies

N-Heterocyclic carbene (NHC) complexes bromo(1,3-dibenzyl-1,3-dihydro-2H-imidazol-2-ylidene)silver(I) (2a), bromo[1-(4-cyanobenzyl)-3-methyl-1,3-dihydro-2H-imidazol-2-ylidene]silver(I) (2b), and bromo[1-(4-cyanobenzyl)-3-methyl-1,3-dihydro-2H-benzimidazol-2-ylidene]silver(I) (2c) were prepared by the reaction of 1,3-dibenzyl-1H-imidazol-3-ium bromide (1a), 3-(4-cyanobenzyl)-1-methyl-1H-imidazol-3-ium bromide (1b), and 3-(4-cyanobenzyl)-1-methyl-1H-benzimidazol-3-ium bromide (1c), respectively, with silver(I) oxide. NHC Complexes chloro(1,3-dibenzyl-1,3-dihydro-2H-imidazol-2-ylidene)gold(I) (3a), chloro[1-(4-cyanobenzyl)-3-methyl-1,3-dihydro-2H-imidazol-2-ylidene]gold(I) (3b), and chloro[1-(4-cyanobenzyl)-3-methyl-1,3-dihydro-2H-benzimidazol-2-ylidene]gold(I) (3c) were prepared via transmetallation of corresponding (bromo)(NHC)silver(I) complexes with chloro(dimethylsulfido)gold(I). The complex 3a was characterized in two polymorphic forms by single-crystal X-ray diffraction showing two rotamers in the solid state. The cytotoxicities of all three bromo(NHC)silver(I) complexes and three (chloro)(NHC)gold(I) complexes were investigated through 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl-2H-tetrazolium bormide (MTT)-based preliminary in vitro testing on the Caki-1 cell line in order to determine their IC50 values. (Bromo)(NHC)silver(I) complexes 2a-2c and (chloro)(NHC)gold(I) complexes 3a-3c were found to have IC50 values of 27 +/- 2, 28 +/- 2, 34 +/- 6, 10 +/- 1, 12 +/- 5, and 12 +/- 3 mu m, respectively, on the Caki-1 cell line.