Antimony and bismuth compounds in oncology

Area of Science:

• Medicinal inorganic chemistry
• Metallodrugs
• Cancer research

Background:

• Antimony and bismuth compounds are clinically used for Leishmaniasis and ulcers, respectively.
• Their anti-cancer potential remains largely unexplored compared to other metallodrugs.
• Existing research highlights a gap in understanding their therapeutic applications beyond traditional uses.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the current state of research on the anti-cancer potential of antimony and bismuth compounds.
• To summarize findings from cytotoxicity and anti-tumour screening studies.
• To identify promising avenues for future research in this field.

Main Methods:

• Literature review of published studies on antimony(III), antimony(V), and bismuth(III) compounds.
• Analysis of cytotoxicity data from various cancer cell lines.
• Summary of anti-tumour screening results from in vitro and in vivo models.

Main Results:

• Antimony and bismuth compounds exhibit varying degrees of cytotoxicity against cancer cells.
• Several antimony and bismuth compounds have shown promising anti-tumour activity in preliminary screenings.
• Bismuth(III) compounds, in particular, have demonstrated notable efficacy in early-stage research.

Conclusions:

• The anti-cancer potential of antimony and bismuth compounds is an emerging area of research.
• Further investigation is warranted to fully elucidate their therapeutic applications in oncology.
• Bismuth compounds represent a particularly promising class for developing novel anti-cancer metallodrugs.