Polymeric Nanoparticles Containing Ruthenium Complexes for Biomedical Applications: A Mini-Review on Recent Developments

Ruthenium (Ru) complexes have unfulfilled promise for the treatment of cancers. In the last two decades, a lot of work has been undertaken to design Ru complexes and understand their mechanisms of action. They have, however, low in vivo therapeutic values because of low target selectivity, high off-target toxicity, and low bioavailability. Various strategies are currently being used to overcome these drawbacks. In this context, macromolecules, including polymers, are promising tools to bring Ru complexes to their full potential as effective, accepted, and front-line therapies against cancer. In this review, we will provide a brief overview of anticancer Ru-based drugs before discussing different drug-delivery systems that have been developed so far. This mini-review will focus on the nature of the polymers involved in the preparation of nanocarriers and the synthetic strategies to encapsulate Ru complexes.