The biological applications of germylenes remain unrealised owing to their unstable nature. We report the isolation of air-, water-, and culture-medium-stable germylene DPMGeOH (3; DPM=dipyrromethene ligand) and its potential biological application. Compound 3 exhibits antiproliferative effects comparable to that of cisplatin in human cancer cells. The cytotoxicity of compound 3 on normal epithelial cells is minimal and is similar to that of the currently used anticancer drugs. These findings provide a framework for a plethora of biological studies using germylenes and have important implications for low-valent main-group chemistry.
Keywords: anti-tumor compounds; bioorganometallic chemistry; germylenes; main-group chemistry; metallylenes.
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