Groundbreaking gold(III) anticancer agents

Among the large number of new molecules reported as innovative anticancer agents characterized by both significant antineoplastic activity and minimal systemic toxicity, gold(III)- dithiocarbamato complexes stand out from the other chemotherapeutics. The potential of these compounds, deliberately designed to combine the ‘bullet’ character of the metal center with the stabilizing effect of the sulfur chelating ligands, has been increasingly apparent during the past few years. In this regard, efforts to meet the need of a marked antitumor activity together with the decrease of severe side-effects, led to the development of some tailored molecules designed to improve the therapeutic effectiveness of the clinically established anticancer drugs.