Specialists at the Russian Technological University (RTU MIREA) have developed new cancer treatment drugs based on platinum and chlorine compounds. These innovative medications enhance the effectiveness of cancer therapy and reduce side effects by combining two types of tumor treatment methods: chemotherapy and photodynamic therapy. According to the researchers, the development opens up prospects for the creation of new effective treatment regimens for aggressive and treatment-resistant cancer.
As RTU MIREA’s press service explained, platinum drugs (cisplatin, carboplatin), despite their widespread use in oncology, have notable drawbacks, including high toxicity to the body and limited effectiveness against resistant tumors.
The new approach addresses these limitations by combining platinum drugs with chlorines acting as photosensitizers. These compounds accumulate in tumor cells and, when exposed to light, produce reactive oxygen forms that destroy the neoplasm. Scientists have found a way to introduce platinum complexes into the structure of chlorines, which made it possible to create stable compounds.
“New hybrid compounds can solve both problems: the platinum part provides a systemic effect on the tumor, while chlorines can further enhance the effect by local irradiation,” explained Peter Ostroverkhov, Associate Professor of the Preobrazhensky Department of Chemistry and Technology of Biologically Active Compounds, Medical and Organic Chemistry of the RTU MIREA, whose words are quoted by the university’s press service.
Earlier it became known that researchers from the RTU MIREA had created photo-switchable drugs (pharmaceutical substances) that can be activated in the body and desactivated after the desired effect is achieved. The development will reduce the risks of side effects of drugs.
