Metal Complexes in Cancer Treatment: Journey So Far

Abstract

Metal complexes in cancer therapy have attracted much interest mainly because metals exhibit unique characteristics, such as redox activity, metal-ligand interaction, structure and bonding, Lewis acid properties etc. In 1965, Barnett Rosenberg serendipitously discovered the metal-based compound cisplatin, an outstanding breakthrough in the history of metal-based anticancer complexes and led to a new area of anticancer drug discovery. Many metal-based compounds have been studied for their potential anticancer properties. Some of these compounds have FDA approval for clinical use, while others are now undergoing clinical trials for cancer therapy and detection. In the present study, we have highlighted the primary mode of action of metallic complexes and all FDA-approved/under clinical trial drugs with reference to cancer treatment. This review also focuses on recent progress on metal-based complexes such as platinum, ruthenium, iron, etc. with potential anticancer activities.

Harnessing the power of gold: advancements in anticancer gold complexes and their functionalized nanoparticles

“…This exploration resulted in the development of a diverse range of platinum metal complexes and their derivatives with intriguing anticancer properties. 3,4 These platinum-containing complexes have been employed to treat various types of cancers. However, due to persistent challenges associated with platinum-containing anticancer complexes, the scientific interest shifted towards nonplatinum complexes.…”

Coordinated metal complexes with curcumin Schiff base: Synthesis, investigation, antibacterial screening, antioxidant studies, molecular docking and density function theory calculations

“…1 Metal complexes in cancer therapy have attracted much interest mainly because metals exhibited unique characteristics, such as metal-ligand interaction, redox activity, structure, bonding, and Lewis acid properties. 2 Nowadays, Schiff bases and their metal complexes draw unabated interest in a broad aspect of biomedical applications such as antibiotics, antiviral, anticancer effects, anti-inflammatory, antimutagenic, anti-psychotic, anticancer drugs, HIV protease inhibitor, antihistamines, antioxidants, and drug synthesis and their usage in biomimetic chemistry, electrochemical and electro optical sensors, catalysis, and technological applications. 3 Curcumin is the predominant yellow pigment and the primary bioactive compound found in turmeric (Curcuma domestica).…”

Novel Cerium(IV) Coordination Compounds of Monensin and Salinomycin

“…Coordination chemistry could again offer various approaches to achieve the goal set. Furthermore, the metal complexes have been on the chemotherapeutic protocols for a long time and their efficacy has been demonstrated [ 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 ].…”