Medicinal inorganic chemistry can be broadly defined as the area of research concerned with metal ions and metal complexes and their clinical applications.
Medicinal
inorganic chemistry
Medicinal inorganic chemistry can be broadly defined as the area
of research concerned with metal ions and metal complexes and their clinical
applications. Medicinal inorganic chemistry is a relatively new research area
grown from the discovery of the anticancer agent cisplatin. Indeed, the
therapeutic value of metal ions has been known for hundreds and thousands of
years. Metals such as arsenic have been used in clinical studies more than 100
years ago, whilst silver, gold and iron have been involved in ‘magic cures’ and
other therapeutic applications for more than 5000 years.
Nowadays, the area of metal-based drugs spans a wide range of clinical applications including the use of transition metals as anticancer agents, a variety of diagnostic agents such as gadolinium or technetium, lanthanum salts for the treatment of high phosphate levels and the use of gold compounds in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. In general, research areas include the development of metal-based therapeutic agents, the interaction of metals and proteins, metal chelation and general functions of metals in living systems .
Metal complexes exhibit unique properties, which, on one hand,
allow metal ions to interact with biomolecules in a unique way and, on the
other, allow scientists to safely administer even toxic metal ions to the human
body. Coordination and redox behaviour, magnetic moments and radioactivity are the
main unique properties displayed by metal centres together with the high
aqueous solubility of their cations. The ability to be involved in reduction
and oxidation reactions has led to the use of metal complexes in photodynamic
therapy (PDT). In particular, transition metals are able to coordinate to
electron-rich biomolecules such as DNA. This can lead to the deformation of DNA
and ultimately to cell death. Therefore, transition metals are under scrutiny
as potential anticancer agents. Metals that display a magnetic moment can be
used as imaging reagents in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Many metals have
radioactive isotopes, which can be used as so-called radiopharmaceuticals for
therapy and imaging.
There is a huge array of clinical applications for most elements
found in the periodic table of elements.
This book tries to give an idea of the core concepts and
elements routinely used for therapy or imaging.
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