Ansa -Ferrocene Derivatives as Potential Therapeutics

• Published in: Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) Vol. 29; no. 20; p. 4903
• Main Authors: Cybulski, Marcin, Michalak, Olga, Buchowicz, Włodzimierz, Mazur, Maria
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 16.10.2024; MDPI
• Subjects: Animals; ansa–ferrocene; anticancer; Biological activity; Breast cancer; Cancer therapies; Carbon; Cell death; Chemistry; Comparative analysis; Cytotoxicity; Estrogens; ferrocene; ferrocenophane; Ferrous Compounds - chemistry; Ferrous Compounds - therapeutic use; Humans; Iron compounds; Leukemia; Melanoma; Metallocenes; Metallocenes - chemistry; Metallocenes - pharmacology; Molecular Structure; Ovaries; Oxidative stress; Pancreatic cancer; Prostate; Review; Toxicity; biological activity; ferrocene; ferrocenophane; anticancer; ansa–ferrocene
• ISSN: 1420-3049; 1420-3049
• DOI: 10.3390/molecules29204903

It has been known since the 1990s that the introduction of a ferrocenyl-type substituent into compounds with proven biological activity can improve their properties. More recently, it was also shown that a carbon bridge connecting the two cyclopentadienyl rings in ferrocene derivatives could enhance the biological properties of the new compounds compared to those without them. However, the synthesis of ferrocenes with this additional linker, known as -ferrocenes, is more difficult due to advanced synthetic protocols and the phenomenon of planar chirality in ring-substituted compounds. As a result, research into the formation of hybrids, conjugates and other -ferrocene derivatives has not been widely conducted. This review discusses the potential biological properties of these units, covering scientific articles published between 1980 and 2024.