Mononuclear six-coordinated Ga(III) complexes: A comprehensive survey

Given the commercial availability of Ge-68-Ga-68 generators, in principle analogous to the worldwide utilized Mo-99-Tc-99m generator, it is surprising that few Ga-68 agents have been developed beyond basic research toward clinical application. The use of the unconventional Ga-68 positron emitter would allow for a cost-effective production of Ga-68 radiotracers far from a cyclotron facility. Moreover, the use of Ga-67 radiopharmaceuticals for imaging studies, and the application of non-radioactive gallium compounds in the treatment of important disorders, including a number of cancer and infectious diseases, make studies on trivalent Ga coordination chemistry attractive for the design of novel gallium-based drugs. The aim of this review is to survey the reported crystal data of six-coordinated Ga(III) complexes in order to gain information to be used in the design of novel Ga complexes of medicinal interest. (C) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.