REVIEW: metal complexes as urease inhibitors

Abstract

Urease plays a significant role in the pathogenesis of several diseases and also has practical implications in other fields, such as agriculture or chemical analysis. Among the multitude of chemical species known to inhibit urease, metal complexes stand out as a special category due to their specific mechanism of action, distinct from purely organic substances. Their inhibitory activity seems to depend on the type of metal and its oxidation state as well as on the coordination environment of the central atom. Furthermore, the study of the interaction between metal ions and their complexes with urease renders valuable insights into detailed catalytic mechanisms of this enzyme. This brief survey attempts to provide an overview of the published research on urease inhibition by metal complexes.

Keywords:

• Urease
• enzyme inhibitors
• metal complexes
• metallopharmaceuticals
• bioinorganic chemistry, ureolytic bacteria