Metal complexes for therapeutic applications: (Trends in Chemistry 3, 523–534; 2021)

Metal complexes have been widely used for applications in the chemical and physical sciences due to their unique electronic and stereochemical properties. For decades the use of metal complexes for medicinal applications has been postulated and demonstrated. The distinct characteristics of metal complexes, including their molecular geometries (that are not readily accessed by organic molecules) as well as their ligand exchange, redox, catalytic, and photophysical reactions, give these compounds the potential to interact and react with biomolecules in unique ways and by distinct mechanisms of action. Herein, the potential of metal complexes to act as components of bioactive therapeutic compounds is discussed.