Platinum Complexes as Anticancer Agents

The application of inorganic chemistry to medicine is a rapidly developing field, and novel therapeutic and diagnostic metal complexes are now having an impact on medical practice. Advances in biocoordination chemistry are crucial for improving the design of compounds to reduce toxic side effects and understand their mechanisms of action. Cisplatin, as one of the leading metal-based drugs, is widely used in the treatment of cancer. Significant side effects and drug resistance, however, have limited its clinical applications. Biological carriers conjugated to cisplatin analogs have improved specificity for tumor tissue, thereby reducing side effects and drug resistance. Platinum complexes with distinctively different DNA binding modes from that of cisplatin also exhibit promising pharmacological properties. This review focuses on recent advances in developing platinum anticancer agents with an emphasis on platinum coordination complexes.