Revisiting therapeutic sulfonamides in the attempt to improve the antimicrobial properties through metal-ion coordination

Abstract

The serious health issues raised by microbial resistance to first-line and last-resort antibiotics have triggered the search for efficient strategies to prevent and treat infections. Metal coordination of structures with antibacterial properties represents a promising approach in improving and refining the biological activity of both antibiotics and metal ions as it provides the opportunity to design compounds with unique and tunable features. Sulfonamides in particular are an interesting choice since they combine the structural characteristics required for both antibacterial activity and metal coordination. The present paper reviews the reports on the antimicrobial properties of complexes of metal ions coordinating sulfonamides widely used in the therapy of infections over the past decades.