Metal Complexes in Target-Specific Anticancer Therapy: Recent Trends and Challenges

Abstract

Cancer is characterized by abnormal cell differentiation in or on the part of the body. The most commonly used chemotherapeutic drugs are developed to target rapidly dividing cells, such as cancer cells, but they also damage healthy epithelial cells. This has serious consequences for normal cells and become responsible for the development of various disorders. Several strategies for delivering the cytotoxic drugs to cancerous sites that limit systemic toxicity and other adverse effects have recently been evolved. Among them, biomolecule-conjugated metal complexes-based cancer targeting strategies have shown tremendous advantages in cancer therapy. This review focuses on several chemoselective biomolecules-bound metal complexes as prospective cancer therapy-targeted agents. In this review, we presented the details of the various extra- and intracellular targeting mechanisms in cancer therapy. We also addressed the current clinical issues and recent therapeutic strategies in targeted cancer therapy that may pave a way for the future direction of metal complexes-based targeted cancer therapy.

G2/M-Phase-Inhibitory Mitochondrial-Depolarizing Re(I)/Ru(II)/Ir(III)-2,2′-Bipyrimidine-Based Heterobimetallic Luminescent Complexes: An Assessment of In Vitro Antiproliferative Activity and Bioimaging for Targeted Therapy toward Human TNBC Cells

“…[(η 5 13 C NMR (DMSO-d 6 , 100 MHz): δ197.5 (3C, C�O), 161.9 (1C, C-5), 160.9 (1C, C-4), 159.6 (1C, C-1), 150. Biology.…”

“…However, the inadequate affectivity of present systemic and targeted therapies deserves the further research in finding out a different strategy of treatment to perk up the patient prognosis. The therapeutic potential of metal complexes is very well known from long before, and in recent time, metal complexes have been giving away ample evidence as potential candidates for cancer therapies . The first metal-based complex, cisplatin, established the pillar of anticancer research, and it showed its anticancer activity through apoptotic mechanisms .…”

“…The four aromatic protons of p-cymene rings appeared in the region of δ 6.08−6.32 ppm. In the13 C NMR spectrum, the characteristic peak of the CO group was visualized at δ197.2 ppm, which ensured the attachment of Re (I) metal holding three CO groups. δ 7.93 ppm appeared as triplet in association with the appearance of a characteristic peak for 15 Cp* protons at δ 1.62 ppm in the 1 H NMR spectrum.…”

“…Finally, we obtained dark red colored [L′RuRe] and yellow colored [L′IrRe] crystalline complexes with high yield (92− 96%). The structures of the two complexes [L′RuRe] and [L′IrRe] were authenticated by 1 H and13 C NMR spectroscopy, FT-IR spectroscopy, and HRMS. In 1 H NMR spectroscopic analysis, the two most deshielded protons appeared as doublet (d) at δ 9.57 ppm and other four protons appeared as multiplet (m) at δ 8.04−8.08 ppm in the case of complex[L′RuRe].…”

Metallo-Drugs in Cancer Therapy: Past, Present and Future

“…in the form of carcinomas, lymphomas, sarcomas, or leukemia, each one requiring specific treatment [ 5 ]. The most common clinical approaches for cancer treatment are chemotherapy, radiation therapy, surgery, hormone therapy, and targeted therapy with anticancer drugs [ 6 ].…”