molecules-logo

Journal Browser

Journal Browser

Synthesis, Characterization and Biological Evaluation of Metal Complexes

A special issue of Molecules (ISSN 1420-3049). This special issue belongs to the section "Cross-Field Chemistry".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 December 2025 | Viewed by 179

Special Issue Editors


E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department Chemical Theory of Drugs, Faculty of Pharmacy, Comenius University in Bratislava, Odbojárov 10, 832 32 Bratislava, Slovakia
Interests: chiral metallopharmaceuticals; chiral bioanalysis; illicit drugs

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department Chemical Theory of Drugs, Faculty of Pharmacy, Comenius University in Bratislava, Odbojárov 10, 832 32 Bratislava, Slovakia
Interests: metallodrugs; metals in biology; pharmaceutical chemistry; chirality; anticancer and antimicrobial therapy

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Inorganic Chemistry, Institute of Inorganic Chemistry, Technology and Materials, Slovak University of Technology, Radlinského 9, SK-812 37 Bratislava, Slovakia
Interests: inorganic chemistry; crystallography; bioactivity

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Since the first recognition of cisplatin as an effective anticancer agent, the interest in metal-based drug design has widely increased. Nowadays, bioactive metal complexes represent a promising and rapidly evolving area of pharmacotherapy. Metal complexes have demonstrated manifold biological activities, including antitumor, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, anti-infective, and antiparasitic effects. Metal complexes are also considered to be potential therapeutic agents for Alzheimer´s disease. Metallodrugs exhibit many unique properties as compared to purely organic substances, stemming from the presence of the metal atom and the variable arrangement of ligands around this central atom. The unique properties of metal complexes enable them to exert a variety of mechanisms in their interactions with living organisms.

This Special Issue is focused on new trends in design, synthesis, biological activities, and the target of action of metal complexes. 

Dr. Jindra Valentová
Dr. Ladislav Habala
Prof. Dr. Jan Moncol
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Molecules is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • metal complexes
  • biological activity
  • anticancer
  • bioinorganic
  • anti-inflammatory
  • antimicrobial
  • Alzheimer's disease

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (1 paper)

Order results
Result details
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

16 pages, 1937 KiB  
Article
Anti-Bacterial and Anti-Fungal Properties of a Set of Transition Metal Complexes Bearing a Pyridine Moiety and [B(C6F5)4]2 as a Counter Anion
by Ahmed K. Hijazi, Mohammad El-Khateeb, Ziyad A. Taha, Mohammed I. Alomari, Noor M. Khwaileh, Abbas I. Alakhras, Waleed M. Al-Momani, Ali Elrashidi and Ahmad S. Barham
Molecules 2025, 30(15), 3121; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules30153121 - 25 Jul 2025
Abstract
Background: Transition metal complexes incorporating fluorinated counter anions represent a significant class of compounds with broad applications in industry, pharmaceuticals, and biomedicine. These fluorinated anions are known to enhance the solubility, stability, and reactivity of the complexes, thereby expanding their functional utility in [...] Read more.
Background: Transition metal complexes incorporating fluorinated counter anions represent a significant class of compounds with broad applications in industry, pharmaceuticals, and biomedicine. These fluorinated anions are known to enhance the solubility, stability, and reactivity of the complexes, thereby expanding their functional utility in various chemical and biological contexts. Methods: A set of metal(II) complexes of the general formula [MPy6][B(C6F5)4]2 where (Py = pyridine, M = Mn (1), Fe (2), Co (3), Ni (4), Cu (5), Zn (6)) have been synthesized by direct reaction of metal halides and pyridine in the presence of Ag[B(C6F5)4]. The complexes were characterized using different techniques to assure their purity, such as elemental analysis (EA), electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), ultraviolet–visible (UV–Vis) spectroscopy, 11B-NMR, 1H-NMR, and FT-IR spectroscopy. The antimicrobial and antifungal properties against different types of bacteria and fungi were studied for all prepared complexes. Results: The synthesized complexes exhibited broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity, demonstrating variable efficacy compared to the reference antibiotic, oxytetracycline (positive control). Notably, complex 6 displayed exceptional antibacterial activity against Streptococcus pyogenes, with a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 4 µg/mL, outperforming the control (MIC = 8 µg/mL). Complexes 1, 2, and 4 showed promising activity against Shigella flexneri, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Streptococcus pyogenes, each with MIC values of 8 µg/mL. Conversely, the lowest activity (MIC = 512 µg/mL) was observed for complexes 3, 5, and 6 against Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, and Klebsiella pneumoniae, respectively. Regarding antifungal properties, complexes 5 and 6 demonstrated the highest activity against Candida albicans, with MIC values of 8 µg/mL, equivalent to that of the positive control, fluconazole. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations confirmed an overall octahedral coordination geometry for all complexes, with tetragonal distortions identified in complexes 3, 4, and 5. Full article
Show Figures

Figure 1

Back to TopTop