Investigation of the in vitro anticancer potential of bis(imino)acenaphthene–N-heterocyclic carbene transition metal complexes revealed TrxR inhibition and triggering of immunogenic cell death (ICD) for allyl palladates†

Immunogenic cell death (ICD) is a regulated form of cell death that activates an immune response through the release of danger-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs), including calreticulin, ATP, and HMGB1. Gold complexes are known to induce ICD, but the ICD-inducing potential of palladium complexes remains largely unexplored. We report the first examples of palladium compounds capable of inducing ICD, specifically allyl palladates bearing bis(imino)acenaphthene–NHC (BIAN–NHC) ligands. Cytotoxicity tests on human cancer cell lines revealed that allyl palladates outperform their cinnamyl analogues and gold(I)/copper(I) BIAN–NHC complexes. Notably, [BIAN–IMes·H][PdCl₂(allyl)] 2a showed excellent TrxR inhibition, reducing activity by 67% and surpassing auranofin. This inhibition strongly correlates with ICD induction, as evidenced by enhanced DAMP marker expression, including superior ATP and HMGB1 release compared to doxorubicin. These findings establish allyl palladates as a novel class of ICD inducers with dual anticancer activity and immune activation potential.