Recent progress in synthesis and characterization of metal chalcone complexes and their potential as bioactive agents

This review presents an overview on the synthesis, characterization and applications of metal complexes containing chalcone (1,3-diphenylprop-2-en-1-one) and its derivatives as ligands, and the particular coordination chemistry of these versatile ligands is discussed. Synthetic strategies leading to stable and crystallizable metal chalcones complexes are outlined. The unique coordination chemistry of this class of organic compounds is assessed by structural comparison of representative chalcones in their free and metal-bound state, respectively. Finally, this outline is complemented by recent developments of biological applications of metal chalcone complexes, as a limited number of application studies indicates pharmaceutical potential in some areas such as anticancer activity and selective cytotoxicity, antioxidant and antibacterial effects. Overall, this review provides the first general overview of this emerging and rapidly expanding field of interdisciplinary research.