Synthesis and Biological Activity of Metal Complexes
A special issue of Pharmaceuticals (ISSN 1424-8247). This special issue belongs to the section "Medicinal Chemistry".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 March 2025 | Viewed by 68
Special Issue Editor
Interests: medicinal chemistry; organic synthesis; asymmetric synthesis
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
One of the most striking facts about metal complexes in human medicine is the discrepancy between the large number of synthesized compounds and the very small number of marketed drugs. This paradox could be explained by two phenomena: (1) the historical success of organic drugs for which natural sources were always available while metal complexes must be synthesized and (2) the numerous data gathered about pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics of the former ones compared to the latter ones. This led pharma to be less confident about these molecules. As a result, only a few metal complexes have been marketed in a significant number of countries: cisplatin, carboplatin and oxaliplatin against cancer, and silver sulfadiazine against bacteria are probably the most famous ones.
However, researchers continue to explore this field, and their motivation is probably due to the multiple biological and chemical properties, and the original mechanisms of actions of these complexes. Among these properties, three may be highlighted. The first one is the pleiotropic effect of metals that can act on several targets to cure a disease, although this lack of selectivity may also lead to more side effects. A second feature is the redox properties of metals that can add up to target binding to increase their activity, particularly in cancers and microbial diseases. Finally, the chemistry of metal complexes allows molecules to be created that are endowed with synergistic activities: one coming from the metal and the other one from the ligand(s). This effect could be generally obtained in an easier way than with organic drugs for which covalent bonds must be used to bind both molecules, a task that is generally more difficult.
In this Special Issue, we propose to our readers a series of recent research topics related to metal complexes and their applications in medicine. We hope that you will find interesting subjects to inspire your own work or your teaching activities.
Dr. Francois Dufrasne
Guest Editor
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Keywords
- metal complexes
- biological activity
- synthesis
- pharmacology
- cancer
- pathogens
- medicine
- chemistry
- stability
- target
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