Advances in ferrocene photosensitizers: illuminating new avenues in the medicinal chemistry of cancer

Abstract Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a promising treatment for diseases like cancer and microbial infections, relying on light-activated photosensitizers to generate cytotoxic reactive oxygen species. While PDT has shown clinical success, developing novel photosensitizers with improved properties remains challenging. Ferrocene, with its unique stability, redox activity, and tunability, offers an attractive scaffold for this purpose. This review delves into the recent advancements in ferrocene-based photosensitizers, exploring their design strategies, mechanisms of action, and diverse applications in medicinal chemistry. We critically discuss their potential, comparing structure-activity relationships across various ferrocene derivatives and evaluating their performance in in vitro cell line assays. Additionally, we address current challenges and future directions, highlighting their potential to significantly advance PDT and offer new therapeutic avenues.