Rhenium cluster complexes as promising metal drugs for cancer therapeutics and diagnostics

During the last years the mononuclear rhenium complexes have been studied intensively in radiopharmaceutical chemistry because of the favorable properties of ¹⁸⁶Re and ¹⁸⁸Re radioactive isotopes for cancer therapeutics and diagnostics. Considering that the acting element of such preparations is metal atoms, the rhenium cluster complexes may be promising metal drugs. On the other hand, many rhenium cluster complexes possessing bright red luminescence have considerable potential to be used in photodynamic therapy. Having used these two remarkable properties for medical treatment, it seems, the rhenium cluster complexes can provide synergetic therapeutic efficacy. Thus, the development of cluster rhenium chemistry and design of hybrid cluster complexes by introducing appropriate organic molecules (e.g. sugars, PEG, small peptides) into the cluster moiety to make them water-soluble and acceptable for living cells is very interesting and important task.
Here we report our recent results on synthesis of novel hybrid chalcogenide (Q=S, Se, Te) rhenium tetranuclear Re₄Q₄L₁₂, hexanuclear Re₆Q₈L₆ and dodecanuclear Re₁₂CS₁₇L₆ cluster complexes with inorganic and organic ligands L, study of their crystal and electronic structures, physico-chemical properties and biomedical behavior.