Pharmacological aspects of Co(II), Ni(II) and Cu(II) schiff base complexes: An insight

Abstract

Schiff bases are versatile chemical compounds that are frequently utilized and manufactured by reacting various amines with carbonyl compounds (aldehydes/ketones), resulting in the formation of the azomethine/imine (–CN–) group by condensation reaction. Medical science is driven to generate novel drugs with revolutionary bioactivities and functionalities to cure diseases that are rapidly evolving. Schiff base (SB) is a dynamic pharmacophore that, through chelation, can create complexes with metals of various oxidation states. SB metal complexes have already been recognized as an effective branch of investigation in coordination science. In the recent years, scientists have paid close attention to SBs and the metal complexes owing to versatile potential in the pharmaceutics sector, such as antifungal, antibacterial, antiviral and antimalarial, anti-HIV, anti-cancer, anti-tuberculosis, and many others. These compounds have also been identified as potent oxidants, with applications in sensing and nanotechnology. The ligand environment, metal ion complexation, and lipophilic nature have an impact on the biological activity of transition metal complexes. SB metal complexes are the attractive targets for the development of broad-spectrum medicines due to their combination of pharmacological properties. The review focuses on the synthesis, spectroscopic characterization and in-vitro biomedical applications (antimicrobial, anticancer, antitumor, DNA binding and cleavage, antioxidant) of SBs as well as their Co(II), Ni(II) and Cu(II) transition metal complexes.