Can Mn coordination compounds be good candidates for medical applications?

Abstract

Metal centres provide unique foci for varied biological modes of action that often but not exclusively involve redox or metal-ligand reactions. Metal complexes offer alternative and flexible coordination geometries, electron and proton transfer sites, inner and outer sphere reactivities, sites for redox-active, hemi-labile, and non-innocent ligands, and a variety of potentially controllable properties for exploitation in a therapeutic or biological context. The discovery of the first anticancer, the metal-based compound cisplatin in 1965 by Barnett Rosenberg was a historical outstanding breakthrough and led to a new area of metal-drug discovery. Some metal-based compounds have FDA approval for clinical use, while some undergo clinical trials for various medical therapies. This mini-review focuses on recent progress on Mn-based complexes with potential anticancer, antibacterial, and antifungal activities.