Organometallic Ru(Ⅱ) complexes as anticancer agents

The field of inorganic medicinal chemistry is rapidly advancing. In particular organometallic complexes have much potential as therapeutic and diagnostic agents. The arene ligands in RuⅡ-arene complexes provide a scaffold for functionalization, and allow the thermodynamic and kinetic reactivity of the metal ion to be controlled. The establishment of structure-activity relationships is crucial for the further development of promising medicinal applications of organometallic complexes. Specific examples involving the design of RuⅡ-arene complexes as anticancer agents are discussed, especially their structure-activity relationships and antineoplastic mechanism.