Many international researchers have strived to understand the mechanism of action or improve the efficacy of inorganic coordination compounds that have been identified to exhibit anticancer activity. The inherent challenges of chemotherapy demand that new strategies be developed utilising different mechanisms of action to interrupt the cellular machinery of cancer cells. In Australia, we have benefited from the research of colleagues who have influenced modern platinum chemistry by contributing to our understanding of platinum oxidation and reduction, the mechanism of action of cisplatin, and unique design strategies for new platinum complexes. The purpose of this review is to provide some background in the history and development of platinum(II) and platinum(IV) complexes.

许多国际研究人员一直努力了解已证明具有抗癌活性的无机配位化合物的作用机理或提高其功效。化学疗法的固有挑战要求开发新的策略以利用不同的作用机制来中断癌细胞的细胞机制。在澳大利亚，我们受益于影响现代铂化学的同事的研究，这有助于我们对铂氧化和还原，顺铂的作用机理以及新型铂配合物的独特设计策略的理解。这篇综述的目的是为铂（II）和铂（IV）配合物的历史和发展提供一些背景知识。