Novel carboranyl-BODIPY conjugates: design, synthesis and anti-cancer activity.

A series of four carboranyl-BODIPY conjugates (-CB-10, -CB-15, Me--CB-28, and Me--CB-35) and one phenylene-BODIPY conjugate (PB-20) were synthesized. The carboranyl-BODIPY conjugates incorporate boron clusters, specifically - and -carboranes, covalently linked to BODIPY fluorophores while the phenylene-BODIPY conjugate features a phenylene ring covalently linked to BODIPY fluorophore. The newly synthesized conjugates were characterized by H NMR, C NMR, B NMR, F NMR, FT-IR, and high-resolution mass spectral analysis. cytotoxicity of the synthesized conjugates has been evaluated against the HeLa cervical cancer cell line. The study reveals that -CB-10 shows a maximum cell death potential at lower concentrations (12.03 μM) and inhibited cell proliferation and migration in cancer (HeLa) cells. Additionally, flow cytometry study reveals that -CB-10 and Me--CB-28 arrest the cell cycle at the S phase. The results indicate that the carboranyl-BODIPY conjugates have the potential to be effective anticancer agents.