Coordination Compounds: Synthesis, Structural Characterization and Versatile Biological Applications
A special issue of Molecules (ISSN 1420-3049). This special issue belongs to the section "Inorganic Chemistry".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2026
Special Issue Editor
Interests: bioinorganic chemistry; complexes; antitumor; antimicrobial; structural characterization; spectral data
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
The evolution of diseases in recent decades highlights the need for improved and diversified therapeutic strategies. Bacterial infections are becoming increasingly resistant to antibiotics and are further complicated by biofilm formation. Similarly, current antitumor agents are often costly, toxic and prone to inducing resistance, as well as being ineffective in controlling metastasis. Furthermore, the effective treatments for inflammatory disorders, diabetes mellitus and viral or parasitic infections remain limited. These challenges highlight the urgent need for novel drugs or optimized formulations that can ensure therapeutic efficacy.
In this context, coordination compounds and hybrid materials based on them are promising tools, as their chemical and biological properties can be modulated by the rational selection of metal ions or ligands, or by their incorporation into biocompatible organic or inorganic matrices. As result, numerous coordination compounds containing essential (e.g., Cu, Mn, Fe, Zn, Co, Cr) and non-essential (e.g., Pt, Ru, Au, Ag, Bi, Ni, V, Sn) metal ions have been synthesized and characterized as biologically active candidates in order to establish a sustainable platform for developing future metal-based drugs. Beyond therapeutic performance, these species must also exhibit low toxicity and favorable administration profiles. Current research, therefore, focuses on designing and assessing new coordination compounds and hybrid systems with relevant biological activities as well as identifying suitable administration routes that preserve their in vivo activity.
Dr. Rodica Olar
Guest Editor
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Keywords
- coordination compounds
- essential/non-essential metal ions
- biological activity
- antitumor
- antimicrobial
- in vitro assays
- carrier
- inorganic/organic matrix
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