Chemical and Photophysical Triggers for the Reduction of Pt(IV) Prodrugs for Anticancer Therapy

Platinum(II) complexes are used in approximately 50% of chemotherapeutic treatments worldwide. Despite their undoubtful clinical success, these compounds are associated with severe side effects and poor tumor selectivity. To overcome these drawbacks, the development of platinum(IV) molecular prodrugs and nanoparticle formulations that remain stable and therapeutically inactive in a biological environment, but could be quickly reduced into the therapeutically active analogs through a specific trigger have been thought. Within this article, the mechanisms for chemical and photophysical triggers for the activation of platinum(IV) prodrugs have been critically reviewed.