Evaluation of the Potential Biological Activity of Metallo-Drugs

Dear Colleagues,

Cancer is the second leading cause of death after cardiovascular diseases. The use of transition metal complexes as chemotherapeutics has been well established. Until now, cisplatin, a platinum(II) complex which is an indispensable part in the therapy of various types of tumors, has demonstrated most success. However, serious side effects and drug resistance during its application limit the clinical use of cisplatin, leading many scientists to design new platinum complexes that are structurally similar to cisplatin. Some of them have shown significant potential anticancer activity, even better than cisplatin. Today, research is directed toward complexes of ions of other transition metals such as palladium(II), gold(III), ruthenium(II), osmium(II), rhodium(III), copper(II), etc. It is well known that metal-based compounds exert anticancer activity via interaction with DNA molecules. On the other hand, interaction of these compounds with some sulfur-containing bio-molecules can cause side effects. In order to evaluate potential antitumor activity, selectivity of action and toxicity of metallo-drugs, it is necessary to examine the kinetics and mechanism of their reactions with DNA segments, as well as with DNA molecules themselves. Further, the binding of anticancer agents to proteins is an important factor in the pharmacological response of drugs. Serum albumins (SAs) are the most abundant proteins in plasma and have a crucial role in the transport of many drugs to the target sites. Thus, the study of interaction between transition metal complexes and serum albumin proteins can provide useful information about the therapeutic efficiency of the drug. In this Special Issue, we wish to publish the latest developments in the design of transition metal-based compounds and their potential clinical applications through original research articles and short critical reviews.

Dr. Snežana Jovanović-Stević
Dr. Jovana V. Bogojeski
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. Inorganics is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly 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.

• synthesis
• metal-based drugs
• DNA/serum albumin proteins
• small molecules
• interactions