在发现顺铂后，许多金属化合物被研究用于治疗疾病，尤其是癌症。金属化合物的高治疗潜力与其特殊的性质有关，如其氧化还原活性和定位到关键的生物位点的能力。金属络合物诱导细胞凋亡的已知途径之一是ROS的过度产生以及线粒体膜电位和/或DNA螺旋的破坏。细胞凋亡可以通过死亡受体途径和（或）线粒体途径发生。在这些途径中，Bcl2蛋白和半胱氨酸酶家族的表达起着关键作用。除了细胞凋亡外，自噬是通过双重作用调节抑制或促进各种癌症的另一种过程。另一方面，与DNA相互作用是一些具有强烈抗增殖作用的金属络合物的重要性质之一。这些相互作用可分为两个重要类别：共价/配位或微妙和非配位相互作用。金属络合物的抗癌活性有时是通过几个机制的同时组合实现的。在本综述中，金属络合物的抗癌效应通过不同的途径进行了机制性讨论，并解释了其抗增殖物性的一些有效药剂。版权所有 © 2023 Elsevier B.V. 发布

After the discovery of cisplatin, many metal compounds were investigated for the therapy of diseases, especially cancer. The high therapeutic potential of metal-based compounds is related to the special properties of these compounds, such as their redox activity and ability to target vital biological sites. The overproduction of ROS and the consequent destruction of the membrane potential of mitochondria and/or the DNA helix is one of the known pathways leading to the induction of apoptosis by metal complexes. The apoptosis process can occur via the death receptor pathway and/or the mitochondrial pathway. The expression of Bcl2 proteins and the caspase family play critical roles in these pathways. In addition to apoptosis, autophagy is another process that regulates the suppression or promotion of various cancers through a dual action. On the other hand, the ability to interact with DNA is an important property found in several metal complexes with potent antiproliferative effects against cancer cells. These interactions were classified into two important categories: covalent/coordinated or subtle, and non-coordinated interactions. The anticancer activity of metal complexes is sometimes achieved by the simultaneous combination of several mechanisms. In this review, the anticancer effect of metal complexes is mechanistically discussed by different pathways, and some effective agents on their antiproliferative properties are explained.Copyright © 2023. Published by Elsevier B.V.