Tailored Metal-Based Catalysts: A New Platform for Targeted Anticancer Therapies
Maria Inês P. S. Leitão, Tânia S. Morais
Abstract
Innovative strategies for targeted anticancer therapies have gained significant momentum, with metal complexes emerging as tunable catalysts for more effective and safer treatments. Rational design and engineering of metal complexes enable the development of tailored molecular structures optimized for precision oncology. The strategic incorporation of metal complex catalysts within combinatorial therapies amplifies their anticancer properties. This perspective highlights the advancements in synthetic strategies and rational design since 2019, showing how tailored metal catalysts are optimized by designing structures to release or in situ synthesize active drugs, leveraging the target-specific characteristics to develop more precise cancer therapies. This review explores metal-based catalysts, including those conjugated with biomolecules, nanostructures, and metal–organic frameworks (MOFs), highlighting their catalytic activity in biological environments and their in vitro / in vivo performance. To sum up, the potential of metal complexes as catalysts to reshape the landscape of anticancer therapies and foster novel avenues for therapeutic advancement is emphasized.