In Vitro Anticancer and Antivirus Activities of Cyano- and Bis(Trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide-Based Ionic Liquids

In the current work, we present a broad analysis of cytotoxicity toward normal (kidney and lung) and cancer (lung, liver, and cervix) cells of ionic liquids (ILs) with imidazolium cations and cyano-based or bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide anions. Additionally, we verify if ILs might be candidates for new potential virucidal agents. We observed the highest biological activity for 1-methyl-3-octylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide, whereas the least toxic was 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium thiocyanate. We found that all investigated ILs revealed a lack of antiviral activity against viruses: human parainfluenza virus type 3 (HPIV-3), human adenovirus 5 (AdV5), human herpesvirus 1 (HSV-1), and human herpesvirus 5 (HCMV) in nontoxic concentrations.