Metal-Based Drug-DNA Interactions

Coordination compounds that bind to DNA have been an active area of research since the discovery of cisplatin and the platinum based drugs. In this review we offer a general overview about transition-metal compounds that binds DNA through several ways and some examples are given to understand the role played by the different factors that promotes it, such as the intercalant ligand and the nature and position of the substituent over it. Several techniques to follow metal-based drugs interactions with DNA are mentioned as well as a brief description of computational techniques that can be used as a powerful tool in order to reach a deep knowledge of the parameters involved in the stabilization of coordination compound-DNA adduct.