Metal complexes in medicine with a focus on enzyme inhibition.

Since the clinical success of cisplatin and its derivatives, considerable effort has been expended by academics and pharmacological companies to the development of novel metal-based drugs. DNA is believed to be the main target of cisplatin, and there have been extensive studies on the binding between metal complexes and DNA targets. Recently, new light has been shed on the discovery of metal-based drugs that inhibit enzymatic activities or even target proteins directly. This review highlights some exciting results published recently on the development of platinum, gold, and ruthenium complexes as enzyme inhibitors for potential therapeutic applications. Copyright 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.