Importance of metal complexes for development of potential leishmanicidal agents

•The current drugs used to treat leishmaniasis are toxic and cause severe side effects.•The development of drug resistance confirms the urgent need to new drugs.•Metal complexes are good candidates for parasitic diseases such as Leishmania.•These complexes exhibited very suitable compounds with high antileishmanial activity and low toxicity.•In this review, some of metal complexes with antileishmanial activity introduce.

The occurrence of adverse effects and the development of resistance associated with the administration of conventional anti-leishmanial drugs explicate the urgent need for development of new leishmanicidal agents. The potential use of metal complexes as drugs against parasitic diseases has so far been very little explored. Leishmaniasis affects millions of people around the world with very limited therapeutic options for their treatment. This review focuses on the recent advances in the development of complex anti-leishmania agents.

Graphical abstractLeishmaniasis affects millions of people around the world with very limited therapeutic options for their treatment. Rational design of new metal complexes and the use of these complexes exhibited very suitable compounds with low toxicity and high activity against promastigotes and amastigotes forms of leishmania spp.Figure optionsDownload full-size imageDownload as PowerPoint slide