Nowadays, gold compounds occupy a relevant position constituting a promising class of
experimental anticancer metallodrugs. Several research efforts have been devoted to the
investigations of the pharmacological properties of gold (I) complexes bearing phosphine
ligands, such as the antiarthritic drug auranofin, that has also been shown to produce
anticancer effects in vitro. In spite of the numerous studies that appeared in the literature the
biological mechanisms of action of auranofin and analogues are still controversial. Here, we …