{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,16]],"date-time":"2026-09-16T11:39:10Z","timestamp":1789558750670,"version":"build-2803163510"},"reference-count":110,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"8","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,4,11]],"date-time":"2025-04-11T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1744329600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"PRIN 2022","award":["2022HARH5W\u2014HyMTA (Hybrid Multi-Target Agents) (CUP MASTER: C53D23004490001)"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["2022HARH5W\u2014HyMTA (Hybrid Multi-Target Agents) (CUP MASTER: C53D23004490001)"]}]},{"name":"Italian Ministry of Health-Ricerca Corrente","award":["2022HARH5W\u2014HyMTA (Hybrid Multi-Target Agents) (CUP MASTER: C53D23004490001)"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["2022HARH5W\u2014HyMTA (Hybrid Multi-Target Agents) (CUP MASTER: C53D23004490001)"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Molecules"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Approaches capable of simultaneously treating cancer and protecting susceptible patients from lethal infections are highly desirable, although they prove challenging. Taking inspiration from the well-known anticancer platinum complexes, successive studies about the complexation of organic compounds with other late transition metals, such as silver, gold, palladium, rhodium, ruthenium, iridium, and osmium, have led to remarkable anticancer activities. Among the numerous chemical moieties studied, N-heterocyclic carbenes (NHCs) have revealed very attractive activities due to their favorable chemical properties. Specifically, gold\u2013NHC complexes emerged as some of the most active complexes acting as antitumor agents. On the other hand, some recent studies have highlighted the involvement of these complexes in antiviral research as well. The well-known gold-based, orally available complex auranofin approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis has been suggested as a repositioned drug for both cancer and viral infections. In the era of the COVID-19 pandemic, the most interesting goal could be the discovery of gold\u2013NHC complexes as dual antiviral and anticancer agents. In this review, the most recent studies regarding the anticancer and antiviral activities of gold(I)\u2013NHC complexes will be analyzed and discussed, offering an interesting insight into the research in this field.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/molecules30081726","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,4,14]],"date-time":"2025-04-14T03:39:16Z","timestamp":1744601956000},"page":"1726","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":15,"title":["Searching for New Gold(I)-Based Complexes as Anticancer and\/or Antiviral Agents"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"30","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7518-5730","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Paola","family":"Checconi","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department for the Promotion of Human Sciences and Quality of Life, San Raffaele University, Via di Val Cannuta 247, 00166 Rome, Italy"},{"name":"Laboratory of Microbiology, IRCCS San Raffaele Roma, Via di Val Cannuta 247, 00166 Rome, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-9763-838X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Annaluisa","family":"Mariconda","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Basic and Applied Sciences, University of Basilicata, Via dell\u2019Ateneo Lucano, 10, 85100 Potenza, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-7420-4706","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Alessia","family":"Catalano","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pharmacy-Drug Sciences, University of Bari \u201cAldo Moro\u201d, Via Orabona, 4, 70126 Bari, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-1386-3601","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Jessica","family":"Ceramella","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pharmacy, Health and Nutritional Sciences, University of Calabria, Via Pietro Bucci, 87036 Arcavacata di Rende, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Michele","family":"Pellegrino","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pharmacy, Health and Nutritional Sciences, University of Calabria, Via Pietro Bucci, 87036 Arcavacata di Rende, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-8417-2103","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Stefano","family":"Aquaro","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Life, Health and Environmental Sciences, University of L\u2019Aquila, Piazzale Salvatore Tommasi, 1, Blocco 11, 67010 L\u2019Aquila, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-2435-8931","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Maria Stefania","family":"Sinicropi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pharmacy, Health and Nutritional Sciences, University of Calabria, Via Pietro Bucci, 87036 Arcavacata di Rende, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-7685-1093","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Pasquale","family":"Longo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Chemistry and Biology \u201cA. Zambelli\u201d, University of Salerno, Via Giovanni Paolo II, 132, 84084 Fisciano, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,4,11]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"215579","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ccr.2023.215579","article-title":"Riding the Metal Wave: A Review of the Latest Developments in Metal-Based Anticancer Agents","volume":"501","author":"Abdolmaleki","year":"2024","journal-title":"Coord. Chem. Rev."},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Andr\u00e9s, C.M.C., P\u00e9rez de la Lastra, J.M., Bustamante Munguira, E., Andr\u00e9s Juan, C., and P\u00e9rez-Lebe\u00f1a, E. (2024). Anticancer activity of Metallodrugs and Metallizing Host Defense Peptides\u2014Current Developments in Structure-Activity Relationship. Int. J. Mol. 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