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The Photochemistry of Transition Metal Complexes and Its Application in Biology and Medicine

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Luminescent and Photoactive Transition Metal Complexes as Biomolecular Probes and Cellular Reagents

Part of the book series: Structure and Bonding ((STRUCTURE,volume 165))

Abstract

Fostered by the success of photodynamic therapy (PDT), light activation of transition metal complexes has raised notable interest for applications in biology and in medicine. The rich photochemistry of metal complexes and the arsenal of chemical reactions accessible via light excitation have been exploited for developing therapeutic agents which exert their biological action through novel mechanisms. This chapter aims to provide an overview of the concepts and strategies adopted by leading scientists in the design and development of photoactivatable metal complexes with potential use in cancer therapy. In particular, we focus on the anticancer properties of Pt, Rh, and Ru complexes which have been demonstrated to be amongst the most promising classes of compounds.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (grant CTQ2012-39315), the Department of Industry of the Basque Country (grant ETORTEK), the MICINN of Spain with the Ramón y Cajal Fellowship RYC-2011-07787, and by the MC CIG fellowship UCnanomat4iPACT (grant n. 321791). S.A. thanks the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness for funding her PhD fellowship (BES-2013-065642). We gratefully acknowledge IKERBASQUE for the Visiting Professor Fellowship to A.H. and members of the European COST Action CM1105 for stimulating discussions.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. CIC biomaGUNE, Paseo de Miramón 182, 20009, Donostia – San Sebastián, Spain

    Emmanuel Ruggiero, Silvia Alonso-de Castro, Abraha Habtemariam & Luca Salassa

  2. IKERBASQUE, Basque Foundation for Science, 48011, Bilbao, Spain

    Abraha Habtemariam

  3. Department of Chemistry, University of Warwick, Coventry, CV4 7AL, UK

    Abraha Habtemariam

Authors
  1. Emmanuel Ruggiero
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  2. Silvia Alonso-de Castro
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  3. Abraha Habtemariam
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  4. Luca Salassa
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Luca Salassa .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. City University of Hong Kong, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China

    Kenneth Kam-Wing Lo

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© 2014 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Ruggiero, E., Alonso-de Castro, S., Habtemariam, A., Salassa, L. (2014). The Photochemistry of Transition Metal Complexes and Its Application in Biology and Medicine. In: Lo, KW. (eds) Luminescent and Photoactive Transition Metal Complexes as Biomolecular Probes and Cellular Reagents. Structure and Bonding, vol 165. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/430_2014_165

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