Issue 7, 2022

Are smart delivery systems the solution to overcome the lack of selectivity of current metallodrugs in cancer therapy?

Abstract

Chemotherapeutic metallodrugs such as cisplatin and its derivatives are among the most widely applied anticancer treatments worldwide. Despite their clinical success, patients suffer from severe adverse effects while subjected to treatment due to platinum's low selectivity for tumour over healthy tissues. Additionally, intrinsic or acquired resistance to metallodrugs, as well as their inability to reach cancer metastases, often results in therapeutic failure. The evident need for highly efficient and specific treatments has driven the scientific community to research novel ways to surpass the stated limitations. Within this scenario, a rising number of smart drug delivery systems have been lately reported to target primary cancers or metastases, where the metallodrugs are released in a controlled and selective way triggered by specific tumour-related stimuli, thus suggesting a viable and attractive therapeutic approach. Herein, we discuss the main efforts undertaken in the past few years towards the smart delivery of metal-based drugs and drug candidates to tumour sites, particularly focusing on the pH- and/or redox-responsive targeted delivery of platinum and ruthenium anticancer complexes.

Graphical abstract: Are smart delivery systems the solution to overcome the lack of selectivity of current metallodrugs in cancer therapy?

Article information

Article type
Perspective
Submitted
03 Dez 2021
Accepted
13 Jan 2022
First published
13 Jan 2022

Dalton Trans., 2022,51, 2593-2609

Are smart delivery systems the solution to overcome the lack of selectivity of current metallodrugs in cancer therapy?

J. Franco Machado and T. S. Morais, Dalton Trans., 2022, 51, 2593 DOI: 10.1039/D1DT04079K

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