Anticancer Metal Complexes

Therapeutic potential of metal-based compounds dates back to ancient time. During this period, the ancient Assyrians, Egyptians, and Chinese knew about the importance of using metal-based compounds in the treatment of diseases, such as the use of cinnabar (mercury sulfide) in the treatment of ailments [1]. The advent of “theoretical science,” by Greek philosophers (Empedocles and Aristotle) in the fifth and fourth century BC, boosted the knowledge of metal-based compounds as therapeutic agents. This was supported by the information handed down by Pliny and Aulus Cornelius Celsus (Roman physicians) on the use of cinnabar in the treatment of trachoma and venereal diseases. In the ninth and eleventh century BC, the contributions of ancient scientists such as Rhazes (Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn Zakariya al-Razi) who in his masterpiece entitled: “The comprehensive book on medicine,” known also as “The large comprehensive or Continens Liber,” had thoroughly studied cancer, discussing its diagnosis and treatment [2]. He was among the pioneers to introduce the notion of chemotherapy by combining alchemical, chemical, medical, and pharmaceutical knowledge. Ibn Sina (980–1037 AD), known as Avicenna in the west, was one of the leading pioneers of medical science in the Islamic Golden Age. He clarifies his surgical approach to early removal of a tumoral growth in his eminent work “Al-Qanun-fi-al-Tibb” (The Canon of Medicine): “All diseased tissue should be removed with radical excision, which could utilize amputation and removal of veins surrounding the growth, or catheterization if necessary.” [3] Both were applauded, sequel to the discovery of toxicological effects of mercury in the animals and the use of mercury (quicksilver ointment) for skin diseases, respectively.