Emerging Trends in Metal‐based Anticancer Agents: Drug Design to Clinical Trials and their Mechanism of Action

Abstract

AbstractMetal‐based therapeutic strategies have been effectively used to treat a number of diseases since the ancient period. However, the issue that emerged at this time was the indistinct barrier between therapeutic and toxic doses. After the discovery of cisplatin, a breakthrough was made for these challenges, and vital signs of progress were shown in the medicinal potential of metal complexes. Consequently, nowadays many metal‐based drugs, especially in cancer treatments, are under investigation. Nevertheless, due to a greater focus on clinical relevance, a few of these drugs are currently approved, and many more are in clinical trials waiting for approval. Therefore, the design, development, and clinical applications of several metal‐based anti‐cancer agents and their efficacy are highlighted in this review. Moreover, this review is intended to present a comprehensive overview of metal‐based anticancer agents, their targets of drug design and development and their mechanisms of action in cancer treatments.