Alkyne hexacarbonyl dicobalt complexes in medicinal chemistry and drug development

Abstract

Background: Organometallic alkyne complexes of the hexacarbonyl dicobalt type (hexacarbonyl[µ-h⁴-(alkyne)]dicobalt (Co – Co) complexes) are an interesting class of compounds used in modern synthetic chemistry and an increasing number of reports deal also with the use of these complexes in the field of medicinal chemistry. Methods: This review highlights the applications of alkyne hexacarbonyl dicobalt species in biomedical research with a focus on anticancer drug development. Medline, Pubmed, Scifinder and Espacenet internet databases were searched for available literature and patents. Results/conclusion: Preclinical studies on hexacarbonyl dicobalt complexes containing various alkyne (bio)ligands demonstrated a high potential for application (e.g., as antitumor drugs, hormonally active or diagnostic agents). The biological properties of the compounds were mainly determined by the nature of the ligands and the presence of the metal center.

Keywords::

• alkyne complexes
• antitumor
• carbonylmetalloimmunoassay
• cobalt carbonyl complexes
• hexacarbonyl dicobalt

Acknowledgements

The authors thank the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, grant FOR630), the National Institute of Health (NIH, grant CA111329) and the Oakland University Research Excellence Program in Biotechnology for support.