The synthesis and structural characterizations of Cd(II) lawsone (Law) complex in the presence of ligand of 1,10- phenanthroline (phen), [Cd 2 (Law) 4 (phen) 2 ].4CH 3 OH, 1 , have been studied. The complex is in dimeric form that has been structurally characterized by spectral (IR, TOF-Mass) and X-ray crystallography. The interaction of 1 and lawsone ligand with calf thymus DNA (CT DNA) and bovine serum albumin (BSA) was investigated using UV-visible and fluorescence spectrophotometric methods. The antimicrobial activities of complex 1 are higher against the different types of Gram positive and Gram-negative bacteria than free ligand lawsone and chloramphenicol as reference. The cytotoxic effect of compound 1 on promyelocytic leukaemia (HL-60), colon (HCT-8), brain (SF-295), and melanoma (MDA-MB-435) cancer cell lines was also much higher than cisplatin.
