Advances in the Development of DNA-Cleaving Metal Complexes as Anticancer Agents

The potential of metal complexes that cause irreversible DNA damage through hydrolytic, oxidative, or photoinduced strand breaks as anticancer therapeutics is well recognized. Because of the inherent lower toxicity of biometals compared to non-endogenous metals, Cu and Fe complexes are of particular interest in this regard. Ru polypyridyl complexes are probably the best studied photonucleases and the most promising candidates for photodynamic tumor therapy applications. The literature on DNA-cleaving metal complexes is extensive and constantly growing. This article will cover the literature from the last 5 years and will highlight important developments and advances in the field of Cu, Fe, and Ru metallo- and photonucleases that have potential as new anticancer drugs.