Antiproliferative and antibacterial potential of tetrahexylammonium bromide-based ionic liquids

Ionic liquids (ILs) exhibit cytotoxic effects on prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells. In this study, the antibacterial and antiproliferative activities of tetrahexylammonium bromide-based ILs were investigated. In order to evaluate the therapeutic potential of these ionic liquids, firstly microbiological assay using both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria were conducted by employing Disk-Diffusion and 2,3,5-triphenyltetrazolium chlorine (TTC) methods to assess the antimicrobial effects. Likewise, the antitumor effects on 2D and 3D cell culture systems were assessed using the human colon cancer Caco-2 cell line and cytotoxic activity was assessed using 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) and Alamar blue assays. Results obtained showed that [CH₃(CH₂)₅]₄N(Br) possesses an antibacterial potential, particularly in the case of two bacteria, S. aureus (Gram⁺) and H. influenzae (Gram^-). Preliminary screening of antiproliferative activity showed moderate activity, except for the concentration of 10 mM. Furthermore, regarding the effect of [CH₃(CH₂)₅]₄N(Br) on tumor cell aggregation, positive outcomes were noted. [CH₃(CH₂)₅]₄N(Br) presents promising and under-explored potential to improve antibacterial or anticancer therapies.