Silver(I)‐N‐heterocyclic carbene complexes challenge cancer; evaluation of their anticancer properties and in silico studies

Abstract

Because of the continuous need for efficient therapeutic agents against various kinds of cancers and infectious diseases, the pharmaceutical industry has to find new candidates and strategies to develop novel and efficient drugs. They increasingly use computational tools in R&D stages for screening extensive sets of drug candidates before starting pre‐clinical and clinical trials. N‐Heterocyclic carbenes (NHCs) can be evaluated as good drug candidates because they offer both anti‐cancer and anti‐inflammatory features with their general low‐toxicity profiles. To date, different kinds of NHCs (Cu, Co, Ni, Au, Ag, Ru, etc.) have been synthesized and their therapeutic uses has been shown. Here, we have reviewed the recent studies focused on Ag(I)‐NHC complexes and their anti‐cancer activities. Also, existing examples of the usage of density functional theory and structure–activity relationship have been evaluated.

Silver(I) Complexes Bearing Amine-Functionalized N-Heterocyclic Carbenes: Synthesis, Antimicrobial and Theoretical Studies

“…[17][18][19][20] In particular, its diverse applications in medicinal chemistry are well studied. [21][22][23][24] A wide range of silver complexes of NHCs based on imidazole, triazole, benzimidazole and imidazolidine scaffolds were synthesized and explored as efficient antibacterial, antifungal and anticancer agents. [25][26][27][28][29] Also, Ag(I)-NHC complexes have been evaluated for their antibiofilm activities, and found to be effective against biofilms of pathogenic bacteria.…”

Silver(I) Complexes Based on Oxadiazole-Functionalized α-Aminophosphonate: Synthesis, Structural Study, and Biological Activities

“…The possibility to modulate the coordination sphere of the silver(I) cation has allowed, in particular, the development of efficient silver complexes for medicinal applications, notably as antibacterial, antifungal, or anticancer agents [ 33 , 34 , 35 , 36 , 37 , 38 , 39 , 40 , 41 ]. In recent years, there has been growing interest in organic silver complexes as promising anticancer agents with efficacious activity against various cancer cell lines [ 42 , 43 , 44 ]. These complexes, which exhibit low toxicity for humans [ 45 ] and have long been used as antimicrobial drugs, are potential candidates to replace platinum-based anticancer drugs such as cisplatin ( cis -diaminodichloroplatine(II) [Pt(NH 3 ) 2 Cl 2 ]) [ 46 ], which, despite their success, have drug resistance, undesirable side-effects such as gastrointestinal disorders, bleeding, allergic reactions, or a decrease in immunity, and are effective against only a few types of cancer [ 47 ].…”

Ftalimit Sübstitüe Ag(I) NHC Komplekslerinin Sentez ve Karakterizasyonu

“…Cis-platin kompleksleri hala antikanserojen ajan olarak kullanılsa da nörotoksisite, nefrotoksisite, mide bulantısı, kemik iliği rahatsızlıkları ve sınırlı seçiciliği gibi bazı dezavantajlara sahip olması yeni nesil antikanserojen ajanların arayışına yol açmıştır. Son yirmi yıla bakıldığında, antikanser ve antimikrobiyal ajan olarak yoğun bir şekilde çalışılan Ag-NHC kompleksleri yeni nesil ajanlardır [12]. Ag-karben bağının kuvvetinden dolayı oluşan yapısal kararlılık hücre içerisinde daha geç bozunmasına sebep olmaktadır.…”