Recent advancements in the anticancer potentials of phenylorganotin(IV) complexes

Abstract

This review summarizes anticancer activities of formally substitution–inert ‘‘covalent’’ phenyltin(IV) complexes in the recent years. High toxicity and escalating resistance to Cisplatin and similar drugs brought the attention towards the development of non–platinum metal complexes as alternative chemotherapy for cancer. Among the non–platinum metal complexes, organotin complexes were proved to be possible new leads for the development of antitumor drugs. They have displayed a broad spectrum of antitumor activity and are most importantly non–cross–resistance with less toxicity as compared to platinum complex.The Sn complexes have proven their worth in effective inhibition of human cancer cell lines; importantly they work through cancer cell specific mechanisms at molecular level. It was observed that more than 50% of phenyl derivative of Sn complexes showed high cytotoxic activity but surprisingly have not entered clinical trials. In particular, we focus on phenyl analogues of tin complexes coordinated with Sn–O, Sn–N and Sn–S with an emphasis on the new strategies used in the development of new anticancer agents.