Frontiers of metal-coordinating drug design

Introduction: The occurrence of metal ions in biomolecules is required to exert vital cellular functions. Metal-containing biomolecules can be modulated by small-molecule inhibitors targeting their metal-moiety. As well, the discovery of cisplatin ushered the rational discovery of metal-containing-drugs. The use of both drug types exploiting metal-ligand interactions is well established to treat distinct pathologies. Therefore, characterizing and leveraging metal-coordinating drugs is a pivotal, yet challenging, part of medicinal chemistry.Area covered: Atomic-level simulations are increasingly employed to overcome the challenges met by traditional drug-discovery approaches and to complement wet-lab experiments in elucidating the mechanisms of drugs' action. Multiscale simulations, allow deciphering the mechanism of metal-binding inhibitors and metallo-containing-drugs, enabling a reliable description of metal-complexes in their biological environment. In this compendium, the authors review selected applications exploiting the metal-ligand interactions by focusing on understanding the mechanism and design of (i) inhibitors targeting iron and zinc-enzymes, and (ii) ruthenium and gold-based anticancer agents targeting the nucleosome and aquaporin protein, respectively.Expert opinion: The showcased applications exemplify the current role and the potential of atomic-level simulations and reveal how their synergic use with experiments can contribute to uncover fundamental mechanistic facets and exploit metal-ligand interactions in medicinal chemistry.