Coinage Metal N-Heterocyclic Carbene Complexes: Recent Synthetic Strategies and Medicinal Applications

New weapons are constantly needed in the fight against cancer. The discovery of cisplatin as an anticancer drug prompted the search for new metal complexes. The successful history of cisplatin motivated chemists to develop a plethora of metal-based molecules. Among them, metal-N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) complexes have gained significant attention because of their suitable qualities for efficient drug design. The enhanced applications of coinage metal-NHC complexes have encouraged a gradually increasing number of studies in the fields of medicinal chemistry that benefit from the fascinating chemical properties of these complexes. This review aims to present recent developments in synthetic strategies and medicinal applications of copper, silver and gold complexes supported by NHC ligands.

Automated summary

The discovery of cisplatin has spurred the search for new metal complexes for fighting cancer. Metal-N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) complexes have emerged as promising candidates for drug design, particularly with enhanced applications in coinage metals like copper, silver, and gold. This review focuses on recent advancements in synthetic strategies and medicinal applications of these NHC-supported metal complexes.