Synthesis of new Ag(i) and Cd(ii) hydrozanomide-based complexes with antibacterial and anticancer properties

A series of new Ag(i) and Cd(ii) hydrozanomide-based complexes have been prepared and studied. The synthesized compounds have undergone extensive spectroscopic and structural characterization, including F-AAS, FTIR, single crystal XRD and TGA analyses. Crystal structures of two representative complexes, 4 and 6, have revealed that the silver atom in complex 4 assumes a four-coordinate geometry with two ligands. Additionally, the stability of these complexes in DMSO has been determined using UV-vis spectroscopy. The biological activity of these metal complexes has been assessed, focusing on their antibacterial and anticancer properties against LN-229 and U87 cell lines. Among the tested compounds, silver-based complexes demonstrated significant antibacterial activity against a wide range of microorganisms. Moreover, cytotoxicity studies have shown that the metal complexes exhibit higher anticancer activity compared to their parent ligands. Notably, the Ag(i) complexes of L₃, L₄, and L₅ have emerged as the most promising candidates for their selective toxicity against cancer cells, without harmful effects on normal human fibroblast cells. These findings highlight the potential of Ag(i) complexes as promising anticancer agents with selective toxicity and potent antibacterial properties.