Nano-magnetite supported N -heterocyclic carbene-gold complex with pendant ferrocenyl group as a multi-modal anti-breast cancer agent

A novel nano-magnetite supported N -heterocyclic carbene-gold complex with pendant ferrocenyl group has been prepared by using a multi-step procedure. The complex displayed considerable anticancer activity against the MCF-7 breast cancer cell line with IC 50 = 32.38 ± 0.31 µg/mL as compared with standard drug 5-fluorouracil (IC 50 = 25.29 ± 0.11 µg/mL) in the 3-[4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2,5 diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. The in-ovo anti-angiogenic activity of the complex using chicken chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) assay showed significant decrease in secondary blood vessels indicating that it is an efficient angiogenesis inhibitor. The magnetic hyperthermia studies of the complex revealed a significant specific absorption rate (SAR) value of 246.974 W g −1 with therapeutic temperature of 46.8°C. Graphical Abstract