Abstract
Metal complexes exhibit different features (magnetism, light absorption, fluorescence, etc.), which are expected to function as contrasting and/or therapeutic agents in medical treatment. We have studied two series of metal complexes, lanthanide–thiacalix[4]arene–p–tetrasulfonate (LnIII–TCAS) complexes and diradical–platinum (PtII) complexes toward cancer diagnosis and treatment. Gadolinium (GdIII)–TCAS complexes can be used for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and neutron capture therapy (NCT) due to the magnetism and neutron capture reaction of GdIII. Diradical–PtII complexes can act as contrasting agents for photoacoustic imaging (PAI) and therapeutic agents for photothermal therapy (PTT). In this article, we will introduce the performance of these two metal complexes and their applications to nanomedicine targeting cancer, while also explaining the principles of imaging and treatment modalities.
