Organotin compounds biological activity

Organotin(rV) compounds are characterized by the presence of at least one covalent C-Sn bond. The compounds contain tetravalent Sn centers and are classified as mono-, di-, tri-, and tetraorganotin(IV), depending on the number of alkyl (R) or aryl (Ar) moieties bound. The anions are usually CP, F , 0 , OH , -COO , or -S . It seems that the nature of the anionic group has only secondary importance in biological activity. 

This survey of the literature data on the interactions of organotin(IV) cations with biologically active ligands demonstrates that this is still a very open field. Above all, it is necessary to emphasize that usage of such complexes to treat humans is not permitted at present. Consequently, all compounds examined and discussed here (although with promising anticancer activity) are in the exploratory research stage. 

The emphasis on organotin-containing polymers is the results of several factors. The first one involves the early discovery of their biological activity and more recently that these organotin compounds generally degrade to nontoxic inorganic compounds so that they are environmentally friendly. The second reason is the commercial availability of a wide... 

Snoeij NJ, Penninks AH, Seinen W. 1987. Biological activity of organotin compounds--an overview. Environ Res 44 335-353. 

Pellerito C, Nagy F, Pellerito L, Szorcsik A (2006) Biological activity studies on organotin (IV)n+ complexes and parent compounds. J Organomet Chem 691 1733-1747... 

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