Recent developments in the nanostructured materials functionalized with ruthenium complexes for targeted drug delivery to tumors

Abstract

In recent years, the field of metal-based drugs has been dominated by other existing precious metal drugs, and many researchers have focused their attention on the synthesis of various ruthenium (Ru) complexes due to their potential medical and pharmaceutical applications. The beneficial properties of Ru, which make it a highly promising therapeutic agent, include its variable oxidation states, low toxicity, high selectivity for diseased cells, ligand exchange properties, and the ability to mimic iron binding to biomolecules. In addition, Ru complexes have favorable adsorption properties, along with excellent photochemical and photophysical properties, which make them promising tools for photodynamic therapy. At present, nanostructured materials functionalized with Ru complexes have become an efficient way to administer Ru-based anticancer drugs for cancer treatment. In this review, the recent developments in the nanostructured materials functionalized with Ru complexes for targeted drug delivery to tumors are discussed. In addition, information on “traditional” (ie, non-nanostructured) Ru-based cancer therapies is included in a precise manner.

Poly(alkylidenimine) Dendrimers Functionalized with the Organometallic Moiety [Ru(η5-C5H5)(PPh3)2]+ as Promising Drugs Against Cisplatin-Resistant Cancer Cells and Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells

“…With this work and to the best of our knowledge for the first time, we present evidences of the potential of an old organometallic complex, the [Ru(η 5 -C 5 H 5 )(PPh 3 ) 2 Cl], as an anticancer drug, but also that the toxic fragment [Ru(η 5 -C 5 H 5 )(PPh 3 ) 2 ] + could be delivered into cells using nitrile poly(alkylidenimine) dendritic scaffolds. We hypothesize that the delivery of these “new” drugs directly in the tumor site (local delivery) or, in the alternative, their association with nanomaterials for targeted and controlled delivery into tumors [ 92 , 93 ], would be the right strategy for their use in cancer therapy. Indeed, the high toxicity of these compounds towards different cancer cells and hMSCs can potentially be exploited but like happens with other anticancer drugs, undesired off-target effects must be avoided.…”

Breast Cancer Chemotherapeutic Options: A General Overview on the Preclinical Validation of a Multi-Target Ruthenium(III) Complex Lodged in Nucleolipid Nanosystems

“…Indeed, several Ru(II) compounds demonstrated superior antitumor properties than their corresponding Ru(III) counterpart [89]. In addition, combining with their applicability as nanomaterials, in the last years interest in these compounds has further increased [90,91]. The following possibilities are feasible to enhance the water solubility of ruthenium compounds, which in turn is critical for their possible applications in biomedical field: (i) changing the ligand structures; (ii) designing supramolecular ruthenium derivatives; (iii) enclosing ruthenium complexes into nanostructured materials.…”

“…To exploit the advantages of nanotechnology, very recently many ruthenium compounds have been successfully converted into nanomaterials [87,90,91,[129][130][131]. Due to both their passive and active tumor targeting properties, diverse nanostructured materials could hire a central role in cancer therapeutics.…”

Anticancer Ruthenium(III) Complexes and Ru(III)-Containing Nanoformulations: An Update on the Mechanism of Action and Biological Activity

“…As far as Ru(II)-based complexes are concerned, their preparation, encapsulation into different nanosystems and studies on their mechanism of action have been comprehensively described in recent overviews [43,44].…”