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

Area of Science:

• Medicinal Chemistry
• Oncology
• Materials Science

Background:

• Conventional chemotherapy exhibits limited success in treating human malignancies due to resistance, toxicity, and severe side effects.
• Current treatment options for many cancers remain restricted, highlighting the need for novel therapeutic strategies.
• Developing drugs that selectively target cancer cells while sparing normal tissues is a persistent challenge.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review platinum, copper, and ruthenium metal-based anticancer drugs.
• To evaluate their efficacy in clinical trials and preclinical studies (in vitro/in vivo).
• To discuss the past, present, and future potential of these metallodrugs in cancer therapy.

Main Methods:

• Literature review of existing studies on metal-based anticancer agents.
• Analysis of clinical trial data and in vitro/in vivo experimental results.
• Comparative assessment of platinum(II), copper, and ruthenium complexes.

Main Results:

• Platinum(II) complexes face challenges with resistance and toxicity.
• Copper and ruthenium complexes demonstrate potential for reduced toxicity and novel mechanisms of action.
• These alternative metal complexes may offer a different spectrum of activity and overcome cross-resistance issues.

Conclusions:

• Copper and ruthenium complexes represent a promising avenue for developing next-generation anticancer therapies.
• These metallodrugs may offer advantages over traditional platinum-based chemotherapy.
• Further research into copper and ruthenium complexes is warranted to fully explore their therapeutic potential.