Copper Complexes: Main Mechanisms as Anticancer Agents

TL;DR

This review explores how copper complexes work to kill cancer cells, including newly discovered mechanisms like cuproptosis.

Contribution

The paper systematically summarizes recent advances in understanding the diverse mechanisms of copper complexes in anticancer activity.

Findings

Copper complexes induce cancer cell death through DNA damage and reactive oxygen species (ROS) production.

A novel mechanism called cuproptosis has been identified as a new pathway for copper complex-induced antitumor activity.

Abstract

Copper is an essential element for living organisms, being a cofactor for numerous enzymes or proteins involved in oxidation-reduction reactions, intervening in numerous metabolic processes. In recent decades, complex copper combinations have consolidated their position in medicinal chemistry, which is manifested by the increasing number of compounds that have demonstrated their efficacy following in vitro or in vivo testing. While attempting to mimic the DNA-metal complex interactions typical of cisplatin, most studies of the mechanisms of action of copper complexes continue to consider DNA as the main biological target. Starting from this, studies are focused on understanding in detail how copper complexes manage to destroy tumor cells, and this has led to the discovery of a wide range of such mechanisms of antitumor action. In this review we present the main mechanisms of action of copper complexes discovered in recent decades, from the most well-known (production of ROS following the reaction with DNA) to the newest (cuproptosis). Research into understanding the mechanisms of action of copper complexes continues to be a topic of great interest in developing new potential antitumor agents.

Figures