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Updated: Oct 28, 2025

Anticancer Metal Complexes: Synthesis and Cytotoxicity Evaluation by the MTT Assay
Published on: November 10, 2013
Discovery of metal-based complexes as promising antimicrobial agents
Jing Liang1, Dejuan Sun1, Yueying Yang1
1Wuya College of Innovation, Key Laboratory of Structure-Based Drug Design & Discovery, Ministry of Education, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, Shenyang, 110016, China.
Abstract:
The antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is an intractable problem for the world. Metal ions are essential for the cell process and biological function in microorganisms. Many metal-based complexes with the potential for releasing ions are more likely to be absorbed for their higher lipid solubility. Hence, this review highlights the clinical potential of organometallic compounds for the treatment of infections caused by bacteria or fungi in recent five years. The common scaffolds, including antimicrobial peptides, N-heterocyclic carbenes, Schiff bases, photosensitive-grand-cycle skeleton structures, aliphatic amines-based ligands, and special metal-based complexes are summarized here. We also discuss their therapeutic targets and the risks that should be paid attention to in the future studies, aiming to provide information for researchers on metal-based complexes as antimicrobial agents and inspire the design and synthesis of new antimicrobial drugs.
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