The clinical success of cisplatin continues to inspire the development of metal-based anticancer drug candidates. This article is meant to present the current state-of-the-art and science of ruthenium(II)- and rhenium(I)-based anticancer drug candidates born out of our work in this field. Our recent efforts to elicit photoactivation of intact (organo)metallic anticancer drug candidates as a promising way for commanding their activity within cancer cells are also briefly summarized.
Key words
antitumor agents - carbonyl complexes - drugs - medicinal chemistry - ruthenium - photochemistry