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Recent Advances in Metallo-Drugs

A special issue of Molecules (ISSN 1420-3049). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Structure".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 March 2024) | Viewed by 6396

Special Issue Editor

Special Issue Information

Dear colleagues,

Since the discovery of the anticancer properties of cisplatin (cis-diamminedichloroplatinum (II)) in 1965 and its approval for clinical use in 1978, the investigation of metal complexes as anticancer chemotherapeutic agents has blossomed. Administration of platinum-based drugs has substantial adverse side effects (e.g., neurotoxicity) and is unable to prevent cancer relapse, and intrinsic or acquired resistance can develop in several types of cancer. Thus, many efforts have been made to develop metallo-drugs based on other metals, such as palladium, gold, ruthenium, copper, or osmium. Different types of ligands have also been developed, as well as vehicles to transport the metallo-drug to its targets. Furthermore, in addition to their anticancer properties, metallo-drugs are usable in other fields, for instance, as antibacterial agents.

The Special Issue of Molecules titled “Recent Advances in Metallo-Drugs” welcomes papers related to recent discoveries involving metal complexes in biology/medicine, particularly (but not only) as anticancer agents.

Prof. Dr. Anne-Marie Caminade
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • metallo-drugs
  • anticancer
  • biological properties
  • ligands
  • transition metals
  • noble metals

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Review

18 pages, 5623 KiB  
Review
Dendritic Pyridine–Imine Copper Complexes as Metallo-Drugs
by Régis Laurent, Valérie Maraval, Vania Bernardes-Génisson and Anne-Marie Caminade
Molecules 2024, 29(8), 1800; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules29081800 - 16 Apr 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1112
Abstract
Since the discovery of cisplatin in the 1960s, the search for metallo-drugs that are more efficient than platinum complexes with negligible side effects has attracted much interest. Among the other metals that have been examined for potential applications as anticancer agents is copper. [...] Read more.
Since the discovery of cisplatin in the 1960s, the search for metallo-drugs that are more efficient than platinum complexes with negligible side effects has attracted much interest. Among the other metals that have been examined for potential applications as anticancer agents is copper. The interest in copper was recently boosted by the discovery of cuproptosis, a recently evidenced form of cell death mediated by copper. However, copper is also known to induce the proliferation of cancer cells. In view of these contradictory results, there is a need to find the most suitable copper chelators, among which Schiff-based derivatives offer a wide range of possibilities. Gathering several metal complexes in a single, larger entity may provide enhanced properties. Among the nanometric objects suitable for such purpose are dendrimers, precisely engineered hyperbranched macromolecules, which are outstanding candidates for improving therapy and diagnosis. In this review article, we present an overview of the use of a particular Schiff base, namely pyridine–imine, linked to the surface of dendrimers, suitable for complexing copper, and the use of such dendrimer complexes in biology, in particular against cancers. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Metallo-Drugs)
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17 pages, 1476 KiB  
Review
Metal Nanoparticles for Photodynamic Therapy: A Potential Treatment for Breast Cancer
by Liang Shang, Xinglu Zhou, Jiarui Zhang, Yujie Shi and Lei Zhong
Molecules 2021, 26(21), 6532; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules26216532 - 29 Oct 2021
Cited by 51 | Viewed by 4131
Abstract
Breast cancer (BC) is the most common malignant tumor in women worldwide, which seriously threatens women’s physical and mental health. In recent years, photodynamic therapy (PDT) has shown significant advantages in cancer treatment. PDT involves activating photosensitizers with appropriate wavelengths of light, producing [...] Read more.
Breast cancer (BC) is the most common malignant tumor in women worldwide, which seriously threatens women’s physical and mental health. In recent years, photodynamic therapy (PDT) has shown significant advantages in cancer treatment. PDT involves activating photosensitizers with appropriate wavelengths of light, producing transient levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Compared with free photosensitizers, the use of nanoparticles in PDT shows great advantages in terms of solubility, early degradation, and biodistribution, as well as more effective intercellular penetration and targeted cancer cell uptake. Under the current circumstances, researchers have made promising efforts to develop nanocarrier photosensitizers. Reasonably designed photosensitizer (PS) nanoparticles can be achieved through non-covalent (self-aggregation, interfacial deposition, interfacial polymerization or core-shell embedding and physical adsorption) or covalent (chemical immobilization or coupling) processes and accumulate in certain tumors through passive and/or active targeting. These PS loading methods provide chemical and physical stability to the PS payload. Among nanoparticles, metal nanoparticles have the advantages of high stability, adjustable size, optical properties, and easy surface functionalization, making them more biocompatible in biological applications. In this review, we summarize the current development and application status of photodynamic therapy for breast cancer, especially the latest developments in the application of metal nanocarriers in breast cancer PDT, and highlight some of the recent synergistic therapies, hopefully providing an accessible overview of the current knowledge that may act as a basis for new ideas or systematic evaluations of already promising results. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Metallo-Drugs)
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