title: A survey of the mechanisms of action of anticancer transition metal complexes.
abstract: Metal complexes have been the subject of numerous investigations in oncology but, despite the plethora of newly synthesized compounds, their precise mechanisms of action remain generally unknown or, for the best, incompletely determined. The continuous development of efficient and sensitive techniques in analytical chemistry and molecular biology gives scientists new tools to gather information on how metal complexes can be effective toward cancer. This review focuses on recent findings about the anticancer mechanism of action of metal complexes and how the ligands can be used to tune their pharmacological and physicochemical properties.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de Chimie Pharmaceutique Organique, Faculté de Pharmacie - Université Libre de Bruxelles Campus Plaine CP 205/5, 1050 Brussels, Belgium.
authors.forename: Mickaël
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Marloye
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de Chimie Pharmaceutique Organique, Faculté de Pharmacie - Université Libre de Bruxelles Campus Plaine CP 205/5, 1050 Brussels, Belgium.
authors.forename: Gilles
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Berger
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de Chimie Pharmaceutique Organique, Faculté de Pharmacie - Université Libre de Bruxelles Campus Plaine CP 205/5, 1050 Brussels, Belgium.
authors.forename: Michel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gelbcke
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de Chimie Pharmaceutique Organique, Faculté de Pharmacie - Université Libre de Bruxelles Campus Plaine CP 205/5, 1050 Brussels, Belgium.
authors.forename: François
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Dufrasne
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006801:Humans; D008024:Ligands; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy*; D009942:Organometallic Compounds / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology*; D028561:Transition Elements / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D008024:Ligands; D009942:Organometallic Compounds; D028561:Transition Elements
keywords: cancer; mechanism of action; metal complex