Abstract

Author: Md. Humayan Kabir Affiliation: University of Asia Pacific.

This review introduces a redox-gated model for metal-based cancer therapy by integrating metal-drug speciation with tumor-specific ferroptosis susceptibility. The framework examines how blood-phase transformation, protein binding, intracellular localization, metal metabolism, lipid peroxidation pathways, and antioxidant defense systems influence therapeutic outcomes.

The study proposes patient stratification using a five-state redox-speciation framework that distinguishes effective drug activation and ferroptosis competence from inadequate active-species formation, antioxidant adaptation, and biochemical resistance. The framework supports biomarker-guided precision metallotherapy, targeted delivery, ferroptosis sensitization, and adaptive clinical trial strategies.