Anticancer and antimicrobial properties of imidazolium based ionic liquids with salicylate anion

Abstract

Ionic liquids (ILs) are well known for their physico-chemical properties which recommend them for many purposes. Still, many of ILs are not environmentally friendly. Having in minds these facts, we designed a series of imidazolium-and salicylate-based ILs with low general toxicity and studied their pharmacological potential. Here we present their antiproliferative effect against human cancer cell lines and antimicrobial activity on selected Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacterial and Candida strains. ILs with 1-butyl-3-methyl­imi­dazolium or imidazolium cation (ILs 1 and 5), with the lowest dipole moments and highest lipophilicity, exerted highest cytotoxicity against colon and/or lung cancer cells, manifesting high selectivity to the normal cells. The most non-polar IL with 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium cation expressed the strongest anticancer poten­tial, but it was toxic against normal cells as well, although its cytotoxicity was less than the cytotoxic effect of commercially used chemotherapeutic agents. The same compounds (ILs 1 and 5) expressed modest effect on the bacterial strains which causes serious lung diseases and pulmonary infections (S. aureus) or which are included in colon cancer formation (E. coli and E. faecalis). Salicylate itself was toxic against lung cancer cell line A549 and affected some Candida strains.