Synthesis, Characterization and Biological Evaluation of Metal-Based Compounds and Their Advanced Delivery Systems

Dear Colleagues,

The field of medicinal inorganic chemistry stands at a pivotal crossroads, propelled by the legacy of platinum-based anticancer agents but now rapidly expanding into a new era of discovery. While cisplatin and its derivatives demonstrated the profound therapeutic potential of metal ions, they also revealed significant challenges—including dose-limiting toxicity, acquired resistance, and a lack of selectivity. Addressing these limitations is the central driving force behind the next generation of research, which moves beyond mere discovery to embrace rational design and sophisticated engineering.

The journey of a metallodrug from concept to clinic is a multifaceted endeavor. It begins with the deliberate synthesis of novel metal complexes, exploring metals such as ruthenium, gold, iron, and iridium for their diverse redox states, ligand-exchange kinetics, and unique mechanisms of action. These mechanisms often differ fundamentally from organic drugs, offering avenues to combat resistant diseases. Following synthesis, rigorous characterization is paramount. Advanced analytical techniques, from X-ray crystallography and spectroscopy to computational modeling, are essential for elucidating structure, stability, and reactivity, providing the foundational understanding needed to correlate chemical features with biological activity.

However, a potent compound is of little therapeutic value if it cannot reach its intended target. This is where the integration of advanced delivery systems becomes a game-changer. The convergence of nanomedicine, materials science, and inorganic chemistry is yielding smart platforms—including liposomes, polymeric nanoparticles, dendrimers, magnetic nanocarriers, and metal–organic frameworks (MOFs)—that serve as guided vehicles for metal-based payloads. These systems aim to enhance solubility, protect the prodrug in circulation, and, most critically, achieve targeted delivery to pathological sites through passive or active targeting strategies. This enhances therapeutic efficacy while drastically reducing systemic side effects.

Finally, the ultimate validation lies in meticulous biological evaluation. This requires studies that go beyond preliminary cytotoxicity screens, delving into mechanistic investigations at the cellular and molecular level, assessing interactions with biomolecules, and validating efficacy and safety in advanced in vivo models.

This Special Issue is poised to attract leading-edge research from diverse scientific sectors. The scope is designed to solicit contributions from the fields of medicinal and bioinorganic chemistry, where the design, synthesis, and characterization of novel metal complexes are paramount. Furthermore, it aims to engage researchers in pharmaceutical sciences and nanomedicine, particularly those developing advanced delivery platforms such as liposomes, polymeric nanoparticles, magnetic nanocarriers, and dendrimers. This Special Issue also welcomes work from materials science, including the development of hybrid materials and MOFs for therapeutic applications. Contributions are equally encouraged from chemical biology and pharmacology, focusing on elucidating mechanisms of action and resistance, and from biochemistry and molecular biology, probing the intricate interactions between metal-based species, nano-encapsulated or free, and biological targets. Full papers, communications, and reviews on these topics are welcome.

Dr. Eleftherios Halevas
Guest Editor

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