N-heterocyclic carbene-amine Pt(II) complexes, a new chemical space for the development of platinum-based anticancer drugs.

N-Heterocyclic carbene (NHC) platinum complexes have been highlighted as a promising and original platform for building new cytotoxic drugs of the cisplatin series. Mixed NHC-amine Pt(II) complexes have been prepared via a facile and modular two step sequence leading to trans-configured square planar species. They have been characterized by spectroscopic methods and X-ray diffraction studies. Their efficiency against both cisplatin sensitive (CEM and H460) and resistant (A2780/DDP, CH1/DDP, and SK-OV-3) cell lines has been demonstrated by in vitro experiments.