Published Paper Details:

The increasing diversity and escalating drug resistance of bacterial pathogens have significantly compromised the efficacy of conventional antimicrobial agents, creating formidable challenges in modern infection control. Transition metal complexes (TMCs) have emerged as promising antimicrobial candidates due to their structural versatility, ability to adopt multiple oxidation states, and capacity to coordinate with a wide range of ligands. These complexes interact with bacterial membranes, disrupt enzymatic processes, induce oxidative stress, and target biomolecules such as DNA and proteins. Metals such as copper, silver, iron, and zinc exhibit enhanced antimicrobial properties when coordinated with stable ligand frameworks. Their propensity to generate reactive oxygen species (ROS) contributes to potent bactericidal activity against multidrug-resistant (MDR) strains. This review explores mechanisms, ligand design, therapeutic potential, applications, and future perspectives of TMCs in combating antibiotic resistance.