Design, synthesis, cell imaging, and bioactivity assessment of novel Rhodamine-Pyrimidine nido-carborane derivatives as fluorescent anticancer agents.

• A series of rhodamine pyrimidine derivatives (RP1,RP2,RP3 and RP4) and rhodamine pyrimidine nido-carborane derivatives (RPB1,RPB2,RPB3 and RPB4) were successfully synthesized. • Compounds RP4 and RPB4 have a good inhibitory effect on tumor cells in cytotoxicity experiments. • According to cell imaging experiments, compounds RP4 and RPB4 can enter tumor cells through the cell membrane and have good cell compatibility. Because of the advantages of fluorescent drugs consisting of fluorescent dyes and compounds with anticancer activity for therapeutic diagnostics and personalized medicine. A series of fluorescent antitumor drugs rhodamine pyrimidine derivatives (RP1, RP2, RP3 and RP4) were synthesized by linking rhodamine B and pyrimidine derivatives through ethylenediamine bridge and then introduced into nido- carborane to form fluorescent salt derivatives (RPB1, RPB2, RPB3, and RPB4). It improves the tumor targeting and imaging ability of pyrimidine derivatives. By CCK8, it was found that the inhibition rates of RP4 and RPB4 at 10 μg/mL on HeLa, PC-3 and L02 cells were 70.4 %, 68.7 %, 86.1 % and 72.5 %, 76.4 %, 81.0 %, respectively. The compound has strong inhibitory effect on cancer cells. The logP values of compounds RP4 and RPB4 were between 0 and 3, which were easily absorbed and transported through the cell membrane. Further cell imaging experiments showed that RP4 could enter tumor cells through cell membrane and had good biocompatibility. The experimental results show that compounds RP4 has good imaging capability and tumor targeting, and is a potential fluorescent anticancer agents. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]