The York Research Database

Advances in the design, synthesis, mechanism of action and activity of transition metal-based carbon monoxide-releasing molecules (CO-RMs) as potential therapeutic agents are described in ths chapter. The synthesis of complexes which contain organic ligands coordinated to metal complexes in a variety of different binding modes are described. An evaluation of how the structure of the metal complex, the nature of the ligand, and the manner in which it is coordinated affect the CO-releasing properties gives vital insight into how CO is liberated from the metal. Studies of reaction mechanisms demonstrate that the factors controlling the CO-release process are complex and frequently involve initial interaction with the medium, rather than a simple metal-carbon bond cleavage. The implementation of manganese-based CO-RMs in which CO-dissociation is induced by light (PhotoCORMs) are described as the subsequent antibiotic activity of the lead complex, TryptoCORM, which shows activity against E. Coli, N. gonorroheae, and S. aureus bacteria.