ESR of copper and iron complexes with antitumor and cytotoxic properties

The relatively few iron and copper metal complexes which have been examined in cells and tissues for their redox properties, radical generation properties, and antitumor activity are discussed for studies which utilized electron spin resonance spectroscopy (ESR). A common property of a number of metal complexes, which include bleomycin, adriamycin, and thiosemicarbazones described in this review, is that they are readily reduced by thiol compounds and oxidized by oxygen or reduced species of oxygen to produce radicals. Structural features of these reactions are identified by ESR spectroscopy in model systems and often in cells. Furthermore, ESR spectroscopy has been most useful to probe the environment of the complexes in cells and to measure the rate of reduction of their oxidized forms. As a result of these studies, it is anticipated that more attention will be given to the exploration of redox-active metal complexes as drugs.