Abstract
In the last years, several metal-based compounds have been designed and biologically investigated worldwide in order to obtain chemotherapeutics with a better toxicological profile and comparable or higher antiblastic activity than the clinically-established platinum-based drugs. In this context, researchers have addressed their attention to alternative nonplatinum derivatives able to maximize the anticancer activity of the new drugs and to minimize the side effects. Among them, a number of ruthenium complexes have been developed, including the compounds NAMI-A and KP1019, now in clinical trials. Here, we report the results collected so far for a particular class of ruthenium complexes – the ruthenium(II/III)-dithiocarbamates – which proved more potent than cisplatin in vitro, even at nanomolar concentrations, against a wide panel of human tumor cell lines.
Financial & competing interests disclosure
We wish to thank TRN IMBALLAGGI – logistic services (www.trnimballaggi.it/en/) and ARTEMO Association ONLUS (Italy) for financial support. The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.
No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.