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Transition Metal Complexes in Cancer Therapy: Beyond Platinum

A Special Issue of Molecules (ISSN 1420-3049) belonging to the section "Cross-Field Chemistry".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 July 2026) | Viewed by 1201

Editor


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Guest Editor
Department of Chemistry, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong, China
Interests: anti-cancer drug; biomimetic enzymatic reactions; catalysis; mechanism; transition metal complexes
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Transition metal complexes have transformed modern medicine, with platinum-based drugs (cisplatin, carboplatin, and oxaliplatin) serving as the foundation of metal-based cancer therapy. While these agents have shown impressive clinical efficacy, their effectiveness is limited by two major constraints, including their inherent toxicity profiles and resistance mechanisms related to their DNA-damaging mode of action. 

This Special Issue presents the therapeutic potential of non-platinum transition metals—including, but not limited to, manganese, iron, cobalt, copper, ruthenium, osmium, gold, and iridium complexes—as innovative alternatives and complements. We welcome articles, communications, and reviews on inventive design strategies that exploit unique coordination chemistry with novel in vitro and/or in vivo mechanisms of action. By bridging molecular discovery and therapeutic potential, this collection aims to catalyze the development of metallodrugs with enhanced specificity and multimodal anticancer activity.

Dr. Wai Lun Man
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • anticancer drugs
  • transition metal complexes
  • inorganic chemistry
  • medicinal chemistry
  • chemotherapy

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

29 pages, 4591 KB  
Article
Palladium(II) Complexes with Chloro-Substituted Salicyl Schiff Bases: Exploring Multimodal Anticancer Mechanisms and Catalase Inhibition
by Jovana S. Dragojević, Žiko Milanović, Kristina Milisavljević, Milena Milutinović, Safija Herenda, Edhem Hasković, Nenad Vanis, Vera M. Divac and Marina D. Kostić
Molecules 2026, 31(8), 1370; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules31081370 - 21 Apr 2026
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 700
Abstract
The search for new anticancer agents with improved efficacy and reduced toxicity has intensified interest in metal-based compounds. In this study, two novel palladium(II) complexes, synthesized from Schiff base ligands derived from 5-chloro-salicylaldehyde and p-hydroxybenzylamine or tyramine, were chemically characterized and biologically [...] Read more.
The search for new anticancer agents with improved efficacy and reduced toxicity has intensified interest in metal-based compounds. In this study, two novel palladium(II) complexes, synthesized from Schiff base ligands derived from 5-chloro-salicylaldehyde and p-hydroxybenzylamine or tyramine, were chemically characterized and biologically evaluated. Both complexes exhibited significant cytotoxic activity against the MCF-7 breast cancer cell line in a dose- and time-dependent manner, with Pd2 showing slightly higher potency. Morphological analysis of treated cells indicated that apoptosis is the predominant mechanism of cell death. To gain deeper insight into the potential mechanisms underlying the observed anticancer activity, several biologically relevant targets were investigated. Enzyme kinetics revealed that the complexes act as uncompetitive inhibitors of liver catalase, suggesting a possible role in the induction of oxidative stress. Fluorescence studies demonstrated that Pd2 interacts with CT-DNA through combined intercalative and minor groove binding modes and exhibits significant binding affinity toward human serum albumin, predominantly at Sudlow’s site I. Molecular docking analysis further supported favorable interactions with catalase, estrogen receptor α, and B-form DNA, providing structural insight into the experimentally observed biological effects. Overall, the study explores multiple potential mechanisms of anticancer action, underscoring the promising therapeutic potential of these palladium(II) complexes, while antitumor activity has been initially assessed using a MCF-7 cell line as a preliminary model. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Transition Metal Complexes in Cancer Therapy: Beyond Platinum)
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