ANTIBACTERIAL PROPERTIES OF METAL IONS IN METALLO-ORGANIC COMPLEX STRUCTURES:  A COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW

Akhilesh Mishra; Gayatri Dewangan; Ajay Kodiyatar; Samprita ghosh; Megh Singh Dhakad; mirza masroor ali Beg

doi:10.55251/jmbfs.14203

Authors

Akhilesh Mishra Central Animal Research Facility, Department of Pharmacology, Maulana Azad Medical College and Associated Hospitals, New Delhi-110002, India.
Gayatri Dewangan Department of Pharmacology, College of Veterinary Science and Animal Husbandry cum Livestock Research Institute, Indore, India. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2885-3318
Ajay Kodiyatar Department of Pharmacology, Maulana Azad Medical College and Associated Hospitals, New Delhi-110002, India. https://orcid.org/0009-0009-6876-473X
Samprita ghosh Department of Public Health Dentistry, Maulana Azad Institute of Dental Sciences, Delhi, India https://orcid.org/0009-0006-0568-6066
Megh Singh Dhakad State level Viral Research and Diagnostic Laboratory, Department of Microbiology, Maulana Azad Medical College and Associated Hospitals, New Delhi -110002, India.
mirza masroor ali Beg Faculty of Medicine, Alatoo International University https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4519-721X

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.55251/jmbfs.14203

Keywords:

Antimicrobial resistance, metal complexes, coordination compounds, antibacterial mechanisms, metal-organic frameworks, reactive oxygen species, bioinorganic chemistry

Abstract

The world is facing an urgent need for new therapeutic approaches to combat the rapidly growing problem of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). The antibacterial activity exhibited by metal ions and their coordination compounds is of significant interest with multi-target mechanisms which are fundamentally different from the classic organic antibiotics and hence with less potential for resistance to develop. This review covers the historical applications of metal ions from ancient times till today in metallo-organic complex structures, the mechanism of their bactericidal/bacteriostatic activities, structural requirements for biological activity and their recent clinical and preclinical applications. Special emphasis is placed on the coordination chemistry of biologically active metals, including copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), silver (Ag), iron (Fe), gallium (Ga), ruthenium (Ru) and gold (Au) as well as the role of organic ligands in modulating pharmacological profiles. Emerging strategies such as metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), nanoparticulate systems and synergistic metal-antibiotic conjugates are discussed in the context of pipeline development. A novel comparative synthesis across key metal ion classes is provided and a systematic assessment of clinical readiness is presented to guide rational lead selection. Collectively, the evidence reviewed here positions metallo-organic complexes as highly promising candidates in the post-antibiotic era.