13. Antitumor Metallodrugs that Target Proteins

: Anticancer platinum-based drugs are widely used in the treatment of a variety of tumorigenic diseases. They have been identified to target DNA and thereby induce apoptosis in cancer cells. Their reactivity to biomolecules other than DNA has often been associated with side effects that many cancer patients experience during chemotherapy. The development of metal compounds that target proteins rather than DNA has the potential to overcome or at least reduce the disadvantages of commonly used chemotherapeutics. Many exciting new metal complexes with novel modes of action have been reported and their anticancer activity was linked to selective protein interaction that may lead to improved accumulation in the tumor, higher selectivity and/or enhanced antiproliferative efficacy. The development of new lead structures requires bioanalytical methods to confirm the hypothesized modes of action or identify new, previously unexplored biological targets and pathways. We have selected original developments for review in this chapter and highlighted compounds on track toward clinical application.