Related Experiment Video

Updated: Sep 29, 2025

Anticancer Metal Complexes: Synthesis and Cytotoxicity Evaluation by the MTT Assay
11:14

Anticancer Metal Complexes: Synthesis and Cytotoxicity Evaluation by the MTT Assay

Published on: November 10, 2013

58.0K

Metal-based complexes against SARS-CoV-2

Kyriacos Ioannou1, Manos C Vlasiou2

  • 1Department of Life and Health Sciences, University of Nicosia, 2417, Nicosia, Cyprus.

Biometals : an International Journal on the Role of Metal Ions in Biology, Biochemistry, and Medicine
|March 25, 2022
PubMed

Insights

Metal-based drugs show promise for treating severe COVID-19 cases. This review explores their therapeutic potential and mechanisms against the ongoing pandemic, offering new avenues for drug discovery.

Area of Science:

  • Chemistry
  • Pharmacology
  • Infectious Diseases

Background:

  • Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) emerged in 2019, causing a global pandemic with over 5 million deaths by January 2022.
  • Despite vaccination efforts, the pandemic persists with ongoing viral mutations, necessitating continuous research into effective treatments.
  • Current research focuses on developing novel antiviral drugs, with a growing interest in metal-based therapeutics to manage severe COVID-19 cases.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the therapeutic applications of metal drugs.
  • To highlight metal-based compounds of significant interest for the current COVID-19 pandemic.
  • To examine potential mechanisms of action and effectiveness of these metal drugs against SARS-CoV-2.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review of existing research on metal drugs in therapeutics.
  • Identification and discussion of specific metal-based compounds relevant to COVID-19.
  • Analysis of proposed mechanisms of action and evidence for antiviral activity.

Main Results:

  • Metal drugs represent a promising area of research for antiviral therapies.
  • Several metal-based compounds exhibit potential efficacy against SARS-CoV-2.
  • Mechanisms of action include interference with viral replication and modulation of host immune responses.

Conclusions:

  • Metal drugs offer a viable alternative or complementary strategy to traditional small molecule drugs for COVID-19 treatment.
  • Further research into metal-based therapeutics could lead to new treatments for severe COVID-19 and future viral outbreaks.
  • The exploration of metal drugs is crucial for combating the ongoing SARS-CoV-2 pandemic and enhancing critical care options.
Keywords:
AntiviralBiological activityHIVInfluenzaMetal complexesSARS-CoV-2

More Related Videos

Live Imaging and Quantification of Viral Infection in K18 hACE2 Transgenic Mice Using Reporter-Expressing Recombinant SARS-CoV-208:41

Live Imaging and Quantification of Viral Infection in K18 hACE2 Transgenic Mice Using Reporter-Expressing Recombinant SARS-CoV-2

Published on: November 5, 2021

2.9K
High-throughput Confocal Imaging of Quantum Dot-Conjugated SARS-CoV-2 Spike Trimers to Track Binding and Endocytosis in HEK293T Cells06:39

High-throughput Confocal Imaging of Quantum Dot-Conjugated SARS-CoV-2 Spike Trimers to Track Binding and Endocytosis in HEK293T Cells

Published on: April 21, 2022

3.2K

Related Concept Videos

Metal-Ligand Bonds02:51

Metal-Ligand Bonds

The hemoglobin in the blood, the chlorophyll in green plants, vitamin B-12, and the catalyst used in the manufacture of polyethylene all contain coordination compounds. Ions of the metals, especially the transition metals, are likely to form complexes.
In these complexes, transition metals form coordinate covalent bonds, a kind of Lewis acid-base interaction in which both of the electrons in the bond are contributed by a donor (Lewis base) to an electron acceptor (Lewis acid). The Lewis acid in...
21.6K
Complexation Equilibria: Factors Influencing Stability of Complexes01:09

Complexation Equilibria: Factors Influencing Stability of Complexes

In complexation reactions, metal cations are the electron pair acceptors, and the ligands are the electron pair donors. The stability of the metal complexes depends primarily on the complexing ability of the central metal ion and the nature of the ligands. Generally, the complexing ability of the metal ion depends on the size and charge of the ion. As the metal ion size increases, the stability of the metal complexes decreases, provided that the valency of the metal ion and the ligands remain...
509
Conjugated Proteins02:50

Conjugated Proteins

Simple proteins and protein complexes contain only amino acids. In contrast, many other proteins, called conjugated proteins, covalently bond with non-protein moieties.
Nucleoproteins are protein complexes that contain nucleic acids, categorized as deoxyribonucleoproteins (DNPs) or ribonucleoproteins (RNPs) respectively. The nucleosome is a typical example of a DNP where nuclear DNA is associated with histone proteins. The major antigen for the Covid-19 virus SARS-CoV is an RNP that is critical...
18.7K
Complexation Equilibria: The Chelate Effect01:19

Complexation Equilibria: The Chelate Effect

In complexation reactions, metal atoms or cations interact with ligands to form donor-acceptor adducts called metal complexes. Ligands that bind through one donor site are monodentate, ligands with two donor sites are bidentate, and those with more than two donor sites are polydentate ligands. For example, ethylene diamine is a bidentate ligand that binds through two nitrogen donor atoms, forming a five-membered ring. EDTA is a polydentate ligand that binds through four oxygen and two nitrogen...
708
Formation of Complex Ions03:45

Formation of Complex Ions

A type of Lewis acid-base chemistry involves the formation of a complex ion (or a coordination complex) comprising a central atom, typically a transition metal cation, surrounded by ions or molecules called ligands. These ligands can be neutral molecules like H2O or NH3, or ions such as CN− or OH−. Often, the ligands act as Lewis bases, donating a pair of electrons to the central atom. These types of Lewis acid-base reactions are examples of a broad subdiscipline called coordination...
24.1K
Valence Bond Theory02:42

Valence Bond Theory

Coordination compounds and complexes exhibit different colors, geometries, and magnetic behavior, depending on the metal atom/ion and ligands from which they are composed. In an attempt to explain the bonding and structure of coordination complexes, Linus Pauling proposed the valence bond theory, or VBT, using the concepts of hybridization and the overlapping of the atomic orbitals. According to VBT, the central metal atom or ion (Lewis acid) hybridizes to provide empty orbitals of suitable...
9.8K