Can Pt(IV)—amine complexes act as ‘prodrugs’?

Platinum antitumour drugs have been used for a number of years routinely as Pt(II) amine compounds, the prototype being cis-PtCl2(NH3)2. More recently, Pt(IV) compounds have been shown to be active, and one of them is being introduced into clinical use. The present study deals with the question of whether such compounds are real drugs, or whether they act as prodrugs, being reduced to Pt(II) before reaching their DNA target. A few Pt(IV) amine...