Mixed-Ligand Cadmium (II) Chloride Complex With Adenine: Synthesis, Characterization, Antimicrobial Activity, and Cytotoxicity on Cervical Cancer Cells

The present study reports the synthesis of a novel cadmium (II) chloride complex containing ethylenediamine (en) and adenine (Ade) as ligands. The synthesized complex was characterized by several analytical techniques, including CHN analysis, FTIR, 1H-NMR, 13C-NMR spectroscopy, thermal analysis, powder x-ray diffraction (XRD), and SEM–EDX studies. Based on the CHN elements analysis, metal, and chloride content, the probable molecular formula of the complex was proposed as [Cd(en)2(Ade)2]Cl2. SEM micrographs revealed a flake-like morphology of the complex, having an average particle size of 83.0 nm. The optimized geometry of the [Cd(en)2(Ade)2]2+ was found to be distorted octahedral. The [Cd(en)2(Ade)2]Cl2 exhibited significant antimicrobial activity against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria as well as fungi. The complex showed the highest activity against the Gram-positive bacteria Staphylococcus aureus and the Gram-negative bacteria Salmonella paratyphi and Vibrio parahaemolyticus. The complex was also significantly effective against Escherichia coli. An antifungal study revealed that the complex showed the highest activity against Aspergillus niger. The complex was also tested for cytotoxic action utilizing a lethality bioassay on brine shrimp. The LC50 value was found to be 310.95 μg/mL, which indicates lower cytotoxicity in normal cell lines. The complex also exhibited pronounced anticancer activity against cervical cancer cell lines, such as HeLa, with an LC50 value of 8.66 μg/mL.