Platinum(II) Complexes of Purine and Pyrimidine Bases and Their Nucleosides

The results of studies on the synthesis, structure, and physicochemical properties and reactivities of platinum(II) complexes of purine and pyrimidine bases and their nucleosides, carried out mainly during the last decade, are summarised. Attention is directed to the characteristic features of these compounds as ambident and bridging ligands. The methods of study are characterised and the influence of coordination on the physicochemical characteristics of the purine and pyrimidine ligands and the effect of the mutual influence of the ligands in the platinum(II) complexes are analysed. The data concerning the ways in which the purine and pyrimidine ligands are bound in the platinum(II) complexes are compared with the manifestation of the antitumour activity by these complexes. The bibliography includes 216 references.