Metal complexes with α-picolinic acid frameworks and their antitumor activity

Abstract Pyridine (carboxylate) type of molecules has been intensively studied since early 2000s as it provides diverse design capabilities in terms of coordination to metal ions. Several structural motifs featuring mono-, bi-, and pentadentate binding modes are discussed in a combination with a variety of different substituents with the pyridine unit. In this context, the current review underlines a brief summary of advances on metal complexes with pyridine-based ligands aimed for further development as metallodrug. In line with this, we also highlight their key properties, different synthetic strategies employed in the preparation, and possible structure–property correlations, indicating advantages and limitations of the applied methods used within documented studies.