Dörr M, Meggers E. Metal complexes as structural templates for targeting proteins.
Curr Opin Chem Biol 2014;
19:76-81. [PMID:
24561508 DOI:
10.1016/j.cbpa.2014.01.005]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 93] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2013] [Accepted: 01/07/2014] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
This article reviews recent advances in the design and discovery of inert metal complexes as protein binders. In these metal-based probes or drug candidates, the metal is supposed to exert a purely structural role by organizing the coordinating ligands in the three dimensional space to achieve a shape and functional group complementarity with the targeted protein pockets. Presented examples of sandwich, half-sandwich and octahedral d(6)-metal complexes reinforce previous perceptions that metal complexes are highly promising scaffolds for the design of small-molecule protein binders and complement the molecular diversity of organic chemistry by opening untapped chemical space.
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