Metallodrugs against Cancer Cells: Mechanisms of Action and Molecular Targets

A special issue of Cells (ISSN 2073-4409). This special issue belongs to the section "Cellular Pathology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 January 2025) | Viewed by 1142

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Unit of Physiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zaragoza, 50013 Zaragoza, Spain
Interests: gastroenterology; intestine; intestinal microbiota; intestinal inflammation; TLR signaling; serotoninergic system; intestinal motility; colon cancer; metallodrugs; nanomolecules
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Unit of Physiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zaragoza, 50013 Zaragoza, Spain
Interests: organometallic synthesis; cell biology; bioinorganic chemistry; cancer research; oxidative stress assays; cytotoxicity; primary cell culture; colon cancer

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Many years of research have been conducted since the discovery of cisplatin- and platinum-based drugs as chemotherapists. Currently, research into new therapies for colon cancer based on new selective metallic compounds that act on new mechanisms of action and have fewer side effects is of great scientific interest. In these terms, there are several proteins or biomolecules specifically overexpressed in most human tumors that can be used as targets for metallodrugs. These cancer-related proteins play roles in inhibiting metastasis, angiogenesis, and proliferation. For these reasons, metallodrugs are interesting and promising in the next steps of antitumor therapy.

Metal complexes represent a huge field to explore thanks to their great versatility and different chemistry. Therefore, by changing a small moiety of the complex, the interaction with the molecular target can be changed drastically and, consequently, so can the mechanism of action and cell death. Additionally, some properties such as thermal behavior, optical properties and photostability could also improve the selectivity towards tumor cells.   

This Special Issue of Cells, entitled “Metallodrugs against Cancer Cells: Mechanisms of Action and Molecular Targets”, welcomes original research articles focusing on the aspects of design and characterization of new metallodrugs that target new molecular mechanisms of cancer biology in order to improve the therapy and/or diagnosis of cancer.

Dr. Laura Grasa
Dr. Elisa Abás
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • cell death
  • cytotoxicity
  • molecular mechanism
  • cell imaging
  • theragnostic
  • photodynamic therapy
  • chemotherapy
  • gene expression
  • drug uptake
  • SAR studies

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

19 pages, 2631 KiB  
Article
Effects of Repeated Cisplatin and Monosodium Glutamate on Visceral Sensitivity in Rats
by Yolanda López-Tofiño, Laura López-Gómez, Marta Martín-Ruíz, Jose Antonio Uranga, Kulmira Nurgali, Gema Vera and Raquel Abalo
Cells 2025, 14(1), 26; https://doi.org/10.3390/cells14010026 - 30 Dec 2024
Viewed by 820
Abstract
Cisplatin, a chemotherapeutic drug, is known for causing gastrointestinal disorders and neuropathic pain, but its impact on visceral sensitivity is unclear. Monosodium glutamate (MSG) has been shown to improve gastrointestinal dysmotility and neuropathic pain induced by cisplatin in rats. This study aimed to [...] Read more.
Cisplatin, a chemotherapeutic drug, is known for causing gastrointestinal disorders and neuropathic pain, but its impact on visceral sensitivity is unclear. Monosodium glutamate (MSG) has been shown to improve gastrointestinal dysmotility and neuropathic pain induced by cisplatin in rats. This study aimed to determine if repeated cisplatin treatment alters visceral sensitivity and whether dietary MSG can prevent these changes. Male Wistar HAN rats were treated with saline or cisplatin (2 mg/kg/week, ip) for 5 weeks, and visceral sensitivity to intracolonic mechanical stimulation was recorded after the final cisplatin administration (week 5) and one-week post-treatment (week 6). In a second cohort, rats treated with cisplatin or saline also received MSG (4 g/L) in their drinking water, and visceral sensitivity was evaluated on week 6. Finally, the untouched distal colon was obtained from a third cohort of animals one week after treatment to assess immunocyte infiltration. Cisplatin significantly increased colonic mechanical sensitivity on week 6 but not on week 5. MSG did not prevent cisplatin-induced visceral hypersensitivity on week 6 and even exacerbated it. On week 6, compared with the control, cisplatin (with or without MSG) did not modify the colonic infiltration of eosinophils, macrophages, neutrophils, or mast cells. Although MSG seems to be useful in ameliorating some of the adverse effects of cisplatin, such as gastrointestinal motility disturbances or neuropathic pain, it does not alleviate visceral pain. Full article
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