Cyclopentadienyl-Based Anticancer Drugs: Improvement of Cytotoxic Activity through Functionalisation of the π Ligand.

Cytotoxic complexes containing molybdenum are widely studied as a potential substitution for commercially used drugs that often suffer from pronounced side effects and cellular resistance. Compounds of the type [(η -Cp')Mo(CO) ( L)][BF ], where Cp is cyclopentadienyl and L is a bidentate ligand, are well known for their strong anticancer activity. It is a generally accepted paradigm that the nature of the coordinated L ligand has a major impact on the cytotoxicity.