Cytotoxicity Study of π-Conjugated Arsenic Compounds

Abstract

Organoarsenic chemistry is an emerging field focused on the development of heteroatom-containing functional organic materials. However, concerns regarding the potential toxicity of arsenic remain to be addressed. In this study, we evaluated the cytotoxicity of π-conjugated organoarsenic compounds against HCT-116 human colon cancer cells using a nanoparticle fabrication method. Various functional organoarsenic compounds exhibited low-to-negligible cytotoxicity (IC50 > 10 µM), in contrast to phenylarsine oxide (IC50 = 2.8 µM), a compound well-known for its high toxicity. Notably, phenylarsonic acid, a key synthetic precursor of these compounds, also demonstrated very low cytotoxicity.