Gold and silver N-heterocyclic carbenes as prospective anticancer agents

Silver(I) and gold(I) N-heterocyclic carbenes have been designed, and investigated for their interaction with proteins and nucleic acids. Experiments on cancer cell cultures allowed investigation of the localization, the uptake and the cytotoxicity of the compounds. An unprecedented radiolabelling strategy has been employed for the evaluation of the in vivo biodistribution and stability of a gold(III) N-heterocyclic carbene. The antiproliferative activity has been investigated at a cellular level. In this regard, the comparison with the gold(I) precursor and reference compounds gave complementary insights.