THE SCOPE OF METAL COMPLEXES IN DRUG DESIGN - A REVIEW

A significantly rising interest in the design of metal compounds as drugs and diagnostic agents is currently observed in the area of scientific inquiry, appropriately termed medicinal inorganic chemistry. Investigations in this area focus mostly on the speciation of metal species in biological media based on possible interactions of these metal ions with diverse biomolecules, in an effort to contribute to future development of new therapeutics or diagnostic agents. Metallopharmaceuticals used as anticancer agents, metal-mediated antibiotics, antibacterials, antivirals, antiparasitics, antiarthritics, antidiabetics and radio-sensitizing agents appear in therapeutic medicinal inorganic chemistry. The medicinal uses and applications of metals and metal complexes are of increasing clinical and commercial importance.