Phototherapeutic anticancer strategies with first-row transition metal complexes: a critical review

Abstract

This review presents an up-to-date state of the art on first-row-transition metal complexes, from titanium to zinc, in regard to their applications as photosensitisers for phototherapeutic applications.

Balancing the interplay between ligand ejection and therapeutic window light absorption in ruthenium polypyridyl complexes

“…Transition metal coordination complexes have emerged as a promising class of chemotherapeutics for the treatment of cancer and other diseases. 1,2 Nearly half of all chemotherapeutics administered today are derived from the platinum-based drug family ( platins), which still suffer from major drawbacks, most notably harsh side effects due to a lack of specificity for malignant cells over healthy ones. [3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10] Photochemotherapy (PCT) and photodynamic therapy (PDT) have the potential to circumvent these issues by utilizing a compound that is minimally toxic in the dark and in its native state, but becomes cytotoxic upon illumination, providing spatiotemporal control of toxicity.…”

Medicinal inorganic chemistry – challenges, opportunities and guidelines to develop the next generation of radioactive, photoactivated and active site inhibiting metal-based medicines

“…Under green light (556 nm) irradiation and in the presence of oxygen, DNA cleavage is observed. 29,30…”

“…A recent review covers first row transition metal-based PDT agents. 29 First row transition metals are more abundant and better regulated by homeostasis when occurring at elevated concentrations in vivo . One example of this emerging compound class of PDT agents is complex 33 , an iron analogue of the Ru compound 34 (Fig.…”

Synthesis and anti-microbial activity of a new series of bis(diphosphine) rhenium(v) dioxo complexes

“…8,9 Metal-based compounds have recently been highlighted as a promising alternative to traditional organic antibiotic classes. 10 Their successful application as drugs in other fields of medicine, including oncology, [11][12][13][14] and in neurodegenerative diseases, 15 is well documented. However, to date, the application of metal complexes as antibiotics has been somewhat limited despite the advantages they offer: the potential for novel mechanisms of action which could avoid multi-drug resistant pathways; 16 and their ability to more readily explore 3-dimensional structure-activity space (the so-called 'escape from flatland').…”

“…Fig. 1 (14). Other derivatives are known but have been prepared here using our modified synthetic route (see ESI †).…”