Metals and Metal Complexes for Medicinal Applications

In recent decades the roles of metals and metal complexes in the medicinal field are increasing due to their clinical and commercial importance. Most of the metal ions act as the essential components in many biological processes. In particular, metals like silver, copper, gold, ruthenium, and platinum possess good antimicrobial activity as well as anticancer property in both micro and nanoscales. Owing to the potential medicinal applications of metal complexes, recently researchers have focused their interest on synthesizing metal-based complexes in order to develop potential multi-targeted drugs especially in the case of anticancer applications. In this chapter, we discuss the significance of various metals and metal-based complexes for biomedical applications.