Toxic Effects of a Benzimidazolium Salt on Human and Mouse Healthy Cell Lines

Benzimidazole is a privileged heterocyclic scaffold with broad pharmacological potential, making it a key structure in modern drug discovery. In this study, a benzimidazolium derivative, 1-(4-methylbenzyl)-3-(2-methylbenzyl)benzimidazolium chloride (3), was synthesized through a two-step alkylation reaction and its cytotoxicity was evaluated in two healthy cell lines, HEK-293T and L929. Cells were exposed to compound 3 for 48 h, followed by MTT viability assessment. The compound exhibited moderate cytotoxicity in HEK-239 T and L929 cell lines, with IC50 values of 50.37 µM and 81.56 µM, respectively. The results indicate that HEK-293T cells are more sensitive to the compound than the L929 mouse fibroblast cell line. These results indicate that the human healthy cell line is more sensitive to the synthesized compound than the mouse cell line, and that cell proliferation is inhibited to a higher extent.