Synthesis, photophysical, computational, and cytotoxicity evaluation of carborane-appended phenylene and triazine trimers: elucidating the role of the central core

Key Points

• This research aims to investigate the synthesis and cytotoxic effects of carborane-appended trimers on cancer cells.
• Synthesis of four symmetrical ortho-carborane trimers
• Evaluation of cytotoxicity against MDA-MB-231 TNBC cells
• Assessment of apoptosis mechanism via caspase-3 activation
• Tz-9-CB selectively kills MDA-MB-231 TNBC cells with an IC50 of 6 µM.
• Selectivity index of 13 versus NIH/3T3 cells indicates favorable toxicity profile.
• Caspase-3-mediated apoptosis confirmed in treated cancer cells.