Title:Development of Metal-Based Drugs and Application in Clinical Treatment
Volume: 12
Issue: 3
Author(s): Yi Ming Shao, Bold Sharavyn, Ping Huang, Hua Naranmandura and Qian Qian Wang*
Affiliation:
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University,
Hangzhou 310058, China
- Department of Hematology and Oncology, School of Medicine and Public Health, Zhejiang
University, Hangzhou 310058, China
Keywords:
Metals, cancer, selenium, platinum, arsenic, antimony, APL.
Abstract: Metals occur naturally in soil and many kinds of rocks, particularly in minerals and ores,
which also play a vital role in living systems such as plants and animals. Over the large time scale,
metal evolution from toxins to drugs has achieved a milestone mean in medicine. Currently, a few
metal-based drugs (i.e., metallodrugs) have been used in the clinic to treat patients with different
medical conditions, making exciting new developments in anticancer therapeutics (e.g., arsenic trioxide
and cisplatin) that quickly move into focus. Moreover, a thorough understanding of the properties
and effects of metals on the human body could improve the development and innovation of
metal-based drugs. In this review, we have comprehensively described the discovery and development
of metal-based anticancer drugs, as well as their side effects in clinical treatment. Although
metallodrugs have shown promising outcomes in the treatment of cancers, further investigation is
needed to optimize their side effect for broader applications.