Towards the rational design of platinum(II) and gold(III) complexes as antitumour agents

Metal complexes afford an opportunity for the discovery of new antitumour drugs with truly novel mechanisms of action. Various tactics and some new concepts have been employed to improve the physico-chemical and biological properties of metal complexes. Recent advances in this area demonstrate a bright prospect for the utilization of metal complexes in cancer chemotherapy. The theme of this article focuses on the approaches towards the rational design of platinum(II) and gold(III) complexes with antitumour properties based on the updated understanding of the mechanism of action of these compounds. The complexes summarized in this work include monofunctional platinum(II) complexes, multinuclear platinum(II) complexes, hybrid and targeted platinum(II) complexes, and gold(III) complexes. Most of them violate the established structure-activity relationships and demonstrate different reactivities from cisplatin and thereby show some potential for the prevention of detoxification.