Reivindicaciones
1. Use of a ruthenium complex of formula (I) <img he="0" wi="0" file="" alt="" img-content="undefined" img-format="jpg" inline="yes" orientation="portrait"/> wherein N1-N1-N1 represents an N,N,N-tridentate aza-aromatic ligand; N2-N2 represents an N,N-bidentate aza-aromatic ligand; X is selected from OH 2, Cl, Br, I, and SR 1 R2; R1 and R2 are independently selected from optionally substituted C1-C12 alkyl; Y- is a monovalent anion; and n is 1 or 2; for preparing a medicinal product for treating cancer, where the cancer is a cancer comprising cancer stem cells. 2. Use according to claim 1, wherein N1-N1-N1 is selected from the group consisting of: <img he="0" wi="0" file="" alt="" img-content="undefined" img-format="jpg" inline="yes" orientation="portrait"/> 59 <img he="0" wi="0" file="" alt="" img-content="undefined" img-format="jpg" inline="yes" orientation="portrait"/> wherein each group R' is independently selected from hydrogen, optionally substituted C1-C6 alkyl, optionally substituted C6-C14 aryl, optionally substituted 5- to 10- membered heteroaryl, and halogen. 3. Use according to claim 2, wherein N1-N1-N1 is selected from the group consisting of: <img he="0" wi="0" file="" alt="" img-content="undefined" img-format="jpg" inline="yes" orientation="portrait"/> 4. Use according to any of claims 1 to 3, wherein N2-N2 is selected from the group consisting of: 60 <img he="0" wi="0" file="" alt="" img-content="undefined" img-format="jpg" inline="yes" orientation="portrait"/> wherein each group R' is independently selected from hydrogen, optionally substituted C1-C6 alkyl, optionally substituted C6-C14 aryl, optionally substituted 5- to 10- membered heteroaryl, and halogen. 5. Use according to claim 4, wherein N2-N2 is selected from the group consisting of: <img he="0" wi="0" file="" alt="" img-content="undefined" img-format="jpg" inline="yes" orientation="portrait"/> 61 <img he="0" wi="0" file="" alt="" img-content="undefined" img-format="jpg" inline="yes" orientation="portrait"/> 6. Use according to claim 1, wherein N1-N1-N1 represents <img he="0" wi="0" file="" alt="" img-content="undefined" img-format="jpg" inline="yes" orientation="portrait"/> <img he="0" wi="0" file="" alt="" img-content="undefined" img-format="jpg" inline="yes" orientation="portrait"/> and N2-N2 represents where each group R' is independently selected from hydrogen, optionally substituted C1-C6 alkyl, optionally substituted C6-C14 aryl, optionally substituted 5- to 10- membered heteroaryl, and halogen. 7. Use according to any of claims 1 to 6, wherein the ruthenium complex has the following formula: <img he="0" wi="0" file="" alt="" img-content="undefined" img-format="jpg" inline="yes" orientation="portrait"/> wherein X is selected from OH 2, Cl, Br, I, and SR 1 R2; R1 and R2 are independently selected from optionally 62 substituted C1-C12 alkyl; Y- is a monovalent anion; and n is 1 or 2. 8. Use according to any of claims 1 to 7, wherein X represents OH 2 and n is 2. 9. Use according to any of claims 1 to 7, wherein X represents SR 1 R2, where R1 and R2 are independently selected from C1-C12 alkyl optionally substituted with one or more groups selected from halogen, OR", N(R")2, N(R")COR", CN, NO 2, COR", CO 2 R", OCOR", OCO 2 R", OCONHR", OCON(R") 2, CONHR", CON(R") 2, C1-C6 alkyl, C2- C6 alkenyl, C2-C6 alkynyl, C6-C14 aryl, and 3- to 10- membered heterocyclyl. 10. Use according to any of claims 1 to 9, wherein the ruthenium complex is selected from the group consisting of: <img he="0" wi="0" file="" alt="" img-content="undefined" img-format="jpg" inline="yes" orientation="portrait"/> wherein Y- is a monovalent anion. 11. Use according to any of claims 1 to 10, wherein Y- is selected from the group consisting of PF6-, Cl-, Br-, BF 4-, CF 3 SO 3 , CH 3 SO 3-, and CH 3 C6H4SO 3 . 12. Use according to any of claims 1 to 11, wherein the cancer is selected from breast cancer, lung cancer, 63 colon cancer, prostate cancer, ovarian cancer, pancreatic cancer, cervical cancer, and kidney cancer carcinoma. 13. Use according to claim 12, wherein the cancer is pancreatic cancer, preferably pancreatic adenocarcinoma. 14. A conjugate comprising: - a ruthenium complex of formula (I), as defined in any of claims 1 to 11, and - an ABCG2 substrate. 15. The conjugate according to claim 14, where the ABCG2 substrate is selected from imatinib, gefitinib, flavopirodol, topotecan, irinotecan, SN-38, mitoxantrone, cimetidine, prazosin, statins, zidovudine, estrone, 17P- estradiol, protoporphyrin IX, 2-amino-1- methyl-6- phenylimidazo[4,5-b]pyridine, amsacrine, asparaginase, azathioprine, bisantrene, bleomycin, busulfan, capecitabine, carboplatin, carmustine, chlorambucil, cisplatin, cladribine, clofarabine, cyclophosphamide, cytarabine, dacarbazine, dactinomycin, daunorubicin, docetaxel, doxorubicin, epirubicin, etoposide, flavopiridol, fludarabine, fluorouracil, gemcitabine, idarubicin, ifosfamide, irinotecan, hydroxyurea, leucovorin, liposomal daunorubicin, liposomal doxorubicin, lomustine, chlormethine, melphalan, mercaptopurine, mesna, methotrexate, mitomycin, mitoxantrone, oxaliplatin, paclitaxel, pemetrexed, pentostatin, procarbazine, satraplatin, streptozotocin, tegafur-uracil, temozolomide, teniposide, thioguanine, thiotepa, treosulfan, topotecan, vinblastine, vincristine, vindesine, SN-38, vinorelbine, riboflavin, D-luciferin, rhodamine 123, pheophorbide a, BODIPY- prazosin, and Hoechst 33342. 16. The conjugate according to claim 14 or 15, where the ABCG2 substrate is riboflavin. 17. A conjugate comprising: 64 - a ruthenium complex of formula (I), as defined in any of claims 1 to 11, and - an anti-tumor drug. 18. The conjugate according to any of claims 14 to 17, where the ruthenium complex is a complex of formula (I') <img he="0" wi="0" file="" alt="" img-content="undefined" img-format="jpg" inline="yes" orientation="portrait"/> where X, n, and Y are as defined in any of claims 1 to 11. 19. The conjugate according to claim 18, where X in the ruthenium complex of formula (I) represents SR 1 R2, where R1 and R2 are independently selected from optionally substituted C1-C12 alkyl. 20. The conjugate according to any of claims 18 or 19, where X is selected from methionine or a methionine derivative. 21. The conjugate according to any of claims 18 to 20, where X is a compound of formula <img he="0" wi="0" file="" alt="" img-content="undefined" img-format="jpg" inline="yes" orientation="portrait"/> where Ra is selected from OH, C1-C6 O-alkyl, OA c, NH 2, C1-C6 NH- alkyl, N(C1-C6 alkyl) 2, and NHA c; and each Rb is independently selected from H, C1-C6 alkyl, and Ac. 22. The conjugate according to any of claims 14 to 21, where the conjugate comprises a linker covalently bound to the ruthenium complex and to the ABCG2 substrate or to the anti-tumor drug. 23. The conjugate according to claim 22, where the linker is 65 a hydrocarbon chain between 1 and 20 atoms long, where one or more of the carbon atoms of the chain can be replaced with a heteroatom selected from NR', O, and S, where R' is selected from H, C1-C6 alkyl, and acetyl; and where one or more of the carbon atoms of the chain can be substituted by a substituent selected from =O, OH, SH, NH 2, COOH, CH 2, and Ph. 24. The conjugate according to any of claims 22 or 23, where the linker is selected from an amino acid or a sequence of amino acids bound through peptide bonds. 25. The conjugate according to any of claims 14 to 16 or 18 to 24, comprising: - a ruthenium complex of formula (I), as defined in any of claims 1 to 11, wherein X is methionine, - riboflavin, and - optionally a linker covalently bound to the methionine of the ruthenium complex and to riboflavin. 26. The conjugate according to claim 25, having the following structure: <img he="0" wi="0" file="" alt="" img-content="undefined" img-format="jpg" inline="yes" orientation="portrait"/> where Y- is a monovalent anion. 27. The conjugate according to any of claims 14 to 26 for use thereof in medicine. 28. The conjugate according to any of claims 14 to 26 for use thereof in the treatment of cancer comprising cancer stem cells. 66 29. The conjugate for use thereof according to claim 28, where the cancer is selected from breast cancer, lung cancer, colon cancer, prostate cancer, ovarian cancer, pancreatic cancer, cervical cancer, and kidney cancer carcinoma. 30. The conjugate for use thereof according to claim 28 or 29, where the cancer is pancreatic cancer, preferably pancreatic adenocarcinoma.
