Copper is a transition metal that can exist in oxidized (Cu(II)) and reduced (Cu(I)) states. This allows it to participate in redox and catalytic chemistry, making it a suitable cofactor for a diverse range of enzymes and molecules. Copper complexes have been investigated for their therapeutic or diagnostic potential showing effectiveness in cancer treatment due to their cytotoxic action on tumour cells. In this review, the most remarkable achievements in the design and development of copper(I, II) complexes as antitumor agents are discussed. Special emphasis has been focused on the identification of structure-activity relationships for the different classes of complexes. Up to now, despite the enormous efforts in synthesizing different classes of copper complexes, very few data concerning the molecular basis of the mechanisms underlying their antitumor activity are available. The current overview, collecting the most significant strategies adopted in the last four years to design promising anticancer copper(I,II) compounds, aims to provide a useful reference for researchers working in this field

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The thioredoxin system, composed of thioredoxin reductase (TrxR), thioredoxin (Trx), and NADPH (Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide compounds were found to induce antiproliferative effects towards several human cancer cells some of which endowed with cisplatin or multidrug resistance. In addition, they were able to activate caspase-3 and induce apoptosis observed as nucleosome formation and sub-G1 cell accumulation. The complexes with thiocyanate and xanthate ligands were particularly effective in inhibiting thioredoxin reductase and inducing apoptosis.Pharmacodynamic studies in human ovarian cancer cells allowed for the correlatation of intracellular drug accumulation with TrxR inhibition that leads to the induction of apoptosis via the mitochondrial pathway.

Selenium(Se)-containing compounds have attracted a growing interest as anticancer agents over recent decades, with mounting reports demonstrating their high efficacy and selectivity against cancer cells. Typically, Se compounds exert their cytotoxic effects by acting as pro-oxidants that alter cellular redox homeostasis. However, the precise intracellular targets, signalling pathways affected and mechanisms of cell death engaged following treatment vary with the chemical properties of the selenocompound and its metabolites, as well as the cancer model that is used. Naturally occurring organic Se compounds, besides encompassing a significant antitumor activity with an apparent ability to prevent metastasis, also seem to have fewer side effects and less systemic effects as reported for many inorganic Se compounds. On this basis, many novel organoselenium compounds have also been synthesized and examined as potential chemotherapeutic agents. This review aims to summarize the most well studied natural and synthetic organoselenium compounds and provide the most recent developments in our understanding of the molecular mechanisms that underlie their potential anticancer effects.

The Pt(iv) derivative of cisplatin, ctc-[Pt(NH3)2(PhB)2Cl2], is a p53 independent very potent cytotoxic agent that kills cancer cells by triggering various cellular pathways.

Monocationic hydrophilic complexes [Cu(thp)4](+) 3 and [Cu(bhpe)2](+) 4 were synthesized by ligand exchange reactions starting from the labile [Cu(CH3CN)4][PF6] precursor in the presence of an excess of the relevant hydrophilic phosphine. Complexes 3 and 4 were tested against a panel of several human tumor cell lines. Complex 3 has been shown to be about 1 order of magnitude more cytotoxic than cisplatin. Chemosensitivity tests performed on cisplatin and multidrug resistance phenotypes suggested that complex 3 acts via a different mechanism of action than the reference drug. Different short-term proliferation assays suggested that lysosomal damage is an early cellular event associated with complex 3 cytotoxicity, probably mediated by an increased production of reactive oxygen species. Cytological stains and flow cytometric analyses indicated that the phosphine copper(I) complex is able to inhibit the growth of tumor cells via G2/M cell cycle arrest and paraptosis accompanied with the loss of mitochondrial transmembrane potential.

A series of triple action Pt(iv) prodrugs was designed to test the hypothesis that multi-action compounds, where each bioactive moiety intervenes in several cellular processes, might be more effective than a single agent at killing cancer cells.