[Platinum salts: cytotoxic mechanisms of action, mechanisms of resistance of cancer cells, interactions with ionizing radiation, specificity of carboplatin]

Abstract

Platinum compounds primarily act by damaging cellular targets inducing direct or indirect DNA alterations, and cytoplasmic proteins modifications. Molecular and cellular mechanisms of platinum resistance include increase of DNA repair, amplification of detoxifying proteins, modification of platinum transport, and alteration of oncogenes expression. This overview will describe those preclinical constatations related to cisplatin and will focus on carboplatin specificity.