Rhodium and its compounds as potential agents in cancer treatment

Area of Science:

• Inorganic chemistry
• Medicinal chemistry
• Oncology

Background:

• Cisplatin, an inorganic platinum complex, spurred the development of metal-based cytostatic drugs.
• Numerous platinum and non-platinum metal compounds exhibit antitumor activity in preclinical and clinical settings.
• The clinical introduction of novel transition metal agents is notably slow.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the progress and challenges in developing non-organic metal compounds as anticancer agents.
• To highlight promising ruthenium and rhodium complexes as potential therapeutic candidates.
• To discuss the limitations, particularly toxicity, hindering the clinical translation of these metal-based drugs.

Main Methods:

• Literature review of inorganic complexes with antitumor activity.
• Analysis of preclinical and clinical data for platinum, ruthenium, and rhodium compounds.
• Evaluation of structure-activity relationships and toxicity profiles.

Main Results:

• Ruthenium complexes, particularly NAMI-A ([ImH][trans-Cl4(Me2SO)(Im)Ru(III)]), show significant promise, with NAMI-A entering Phase I clinical trials.
• Rhodium compounds, while structurally related to platinum and ruthenium agents, have demonstrated less efficacy primarily due to toxicity.
• Various rhodium complexes, including Rh(II) dimers and Rh(I)/Rh(III) monomers, exhibit interesting antitumor properties.

Conclusions:

• Ruthenium complexes represent a promising avenue for novel anticancer therapies.
• Overcoming toxicity issues is crucial for the successful clinical application of rhodium-based anticancer agents.
• Continued research into metal-based compounds is essential for expanding cancer treatment options.