Checconi Paola, Mariconda Annaluisa, Catalano Alessia, Ceramella Jessica, Pellegrino Michele, Aquaro Stefano, Sinicropi Maria Stefania, Longo Pasquale
Department for the Promotion of Human Sciences and Quality of Life, San Raffaele University, Via di Val Cannuta 247, 00166 Rome, Italy.
Laboratory of Microbiology, IRCCS San Raffaele Roma, Via di Val Cannuta 247, 00166 Rome, Italy.
Molecules. 2025 Apr 11;30(8):1726. doi: 10.3390/molecules30081726.
Approaches capable of simultaneously treating cancer and protecting susceptible patients from lethal infections are highly desirable, although they prove challenging. Taking inspiration from the well-known anticancer platinum complexes, successive studies about the complexation of organic compounds with other late transition metals, such as silver, gold, palladium, rhodium, ruthenium, iridium, and osmium, have led to remarkable anticancer activities. Among the numerous chemical moieties studied, -heterocyclic carbenes (NHCs) have revealed very attractive activities due to their favorable chemical properties. Specifically, gold-NHC complexes emerged as some of the most active complexes acting as antitumor agents. On the other hand, some recent studies have highlighted the involvement of these complexes in antiviral research as well. The well-known gold-based, orally available complex auranofin approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis has been suggested as a repositioned drug for both cancer and viral infections. In the era of the COVID-19 pandemic, the most interesting goal could be the discovery of gold-NHC complexes as dual antiviral and anticancer agents. In this review, the most recent studies regarding the anticancer and antiviral activities of gold(I)-NHC complexes will be analyzed and discussed, offering an interesting insight into the research in this field.
能够同时治疗癌症并保护易感患者免受致命感染的方法非常值得期待，尽管事实证明这些方法具有挑战性。从著名的抗癌铂配合物中获得灵感，关于有机化合物与其他晚期过渡金属（如银、金、钯、铑、钌、铱和锇）络合的后续研究产生了显著的抗癌活性。在众多研究的化学基团中，N-杂环卡宾（NHCs）因其良好的化学性质而展现出极具吸引力的活性。具体而言，金-NHC配合物成为了一些最具活性的抗肿瘤剂。另一方面，最近的一些研究也强调了这些配合物在抗病毒研究中的作用。美国食品药品监督管理局（FDA）批准的用于治疗类风湿性关节炎的著名口服金基配合物金诺芬，已被提议作为一种可重新定位用于癌症和病毒感染治疗的药物。在新冠疫情时代，最有趣的目标可能是发现金-NHC配合物作为双重抗病毒和抗癌药物。在这篇综述中，将分析和讨论关于金（I）-NHC配合物抗癌和抗病毒活性的最新研究，为该领域的研究提供有趣的见解。
