Anticancer metal-N-heterocyclic carbene complexes of gold, platinum and palladium.

Anticancer metal-N-heterocyclic carbene complexes of gold, platinum and palladium.
Curr Opin Chem Biol. 2017 Nov 10;43:30-36
Authors: Zou T, Lok CN, Wan PK, Zhang ZF, Fung SK, Che CM
Abstract
Transition metal compounds are a rich source for anticancer drug development. Judicious application of coordination ligands is a critical success factor in the design of effective anti-tumor compounds. N-heterocyclic carbenes (NHC) are stable ligands that have strong donor strengths in stabilizing metal ions and versatility in structural modifications to provide diverse scaffolds for biological molecular targeting. Remarkable advances have been achieved in the development of metal NHC complexes as anticancer as well as theranostic agents. NHC complexes of gold, platinum and palladium have been designed to elicit potent cancer cell cytotoxicity, effective anti-tumor activities in animal models as well as selective binding to molecular targets (e.g. protein thiols, DNA G-quadraplexes, mismatched DNA). The mechanisms of action of some of these complexes have been elucidated.
PMID: 29136524 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

Source: Current Opinion in Chemical Biology - November 10, 2017 Category: Biochemistry Authors: Zou T, Lok CN, Wan PK, Zhang ZF, Fung SK, Che CM Tags: Curr Opin Chem Biol Source Type: research