cisplatin

Other names: platamin, neoplatin, cismaplat, cis-diamminedichloroplatinum(II), CDDP

[Pt(NH₃)₂Cl₂]

44/50 uncommon

Cisplatin is a platinum-based chemotherapeutic agent with a deceptively simple square planar structure featuring a central platinum atom coordinated to two chloride ligands and two ammonia molecules in a cis configuration. Though first synthesized in 1844 by Michele Peyrone, its anticancer properties weren't discovered until 1965 by Barnett Rosenberg, who was investigating the effects of electric fields on bacterial growth. Its remarkable anticancer effects were discovered serendipitously; Rosenberg realized that, although bacteria appeared to cease reproducing when exposed to an electric field, this phenomonenon was not due to the electrical field but the platinum wire he was using as an electrode, which was producing small quantities of aquated cisplatin. This activated form binds preferentially to the N₇ position of guanine bases in DNA, forming intrastrand crosslinks that distort the double helix structure. This distortion inhibits DNA replication and transcription, triggering apoptotic pathways that disproportionately affect rapidly dividing cancer cells. The pure compound appears as a yellow0orange crystalline powder with limited water solubility. Despite serious side effects including nephrotoxicity, neurotoxicity, and severe nausea, cisplatin revolutionized cancer treatment, dramatically improving survival rates for testicular and ovarian cancers, and remains a cornerstone of many chemotherapy regimens. Its discovery sparked the development of numerous platinum-based anticancer drugs, creating an entire field of metallopharmaceuticals.