CONTEXT

In everyday life, the elimination of the cancerous cells is insured by chemotherapy by using anti-mitotic molecules, for example. The major inconvenience of these molecules is that they affect the cancerous cells but also the healthy cells. It implies that numerous cell types with fast division are strongly affected too (skin, red and white blood cells, platelets). The side effects of anticancer drugs often provoke a reduction of the therapeutic strategy and limit their efficiency: antineoplasic drugs are for example carcinogenic and may lead to the development of a new tumor in the treated patient, or in the person manipulating them. Medicines of the second choice (with minor side effects), often offer lower therapeutic results than the classic drugs, and are usually more expensive.

The search for new antiproliferative compounds involves important pharmacological research efforts. Among all the different approaches, mineral and metal compounds and their use and/or putative mode of action in modern cancer treatment have been considered in pre-clinical and clinical studies. The design of new mineral-based drugs is often challenged by physico-chemical properties such as insufficient solubility or hydrolytic instability.