Anticarcinogenicity and Toxicity of Organotin(IV) Complexes: A Review

The excellent anticarcinogenicity and toxicity of organotin(IV) complexes of certain acrylates, methylenedioxyphenylpropenoic acid, piperonylic acid, phenylethanoates, carboxylic acid, acetic acid, benzohydroxamato, peptides, dipeptides, benzoates, schiff bases, xylene, nicotinic acid, pyrimidine, and aminoalcohols have been reviewed here. The high cytotoxic activity of complexes is affected by (1) the availability of coordination positions at Sn and (2) the occurrence of relatively stable ligand–Sn bonds, e.g., Sn–N and Sn–S, and which result in less hydrolytic decomposition. Furthermore, the lipophilicity due to the presence of the number of carbon atoms in the organotin moiety of organotin(IV) complexes warranted its impressive antitumor activity and cytotoxicity. The cytotoxic activity exhibited by [Ph3Sn(Meclo)] against L-929, A-549, and T24 cell lines shows that the coupling of meclofenamic acid to SnPh3(IV) metal center results in a metallic complex with important biological properties and remarkable cytotoxic activity, since it exhibits IC50 values in a micromolar range better to that of the antitumor drug cisplatin. However, it is observed during biological testing that the major role is attributed to the alkyl/aryl groups attached to tin atom, while ligands play secondary role.