PROMISEANG acknowledged in recent publication on anticancer and antimicrobial activity of metal-flavonoid complexes
A newly published review titled “Metal Complexes with Hydroxyflavones: A Study of Anticancer and Antimicrobial Activities” by Ljiljana E. Mihajlović, Monica Trif, and Marijana B. Živković provides a thorough and up-to-date analysis of coordination compounds formed between hydroxyflavones (OH–F) and transition metals. These compounds have gained increasing attention due to their promising anticancer and antimicrobial activities, and their relevance in the context of natural product-inspired drug design.
Flavones, a subclass of flavonoids, are plant-derived molecules long recognized for their wide spectrum of biological effects, including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antiviral, and vasodilatory properties. In particular, hydroxyflavones—flavones bearing hydroxyl groups on their core structure—are known to be versatile ligands capable of coordinating metal ions through multiple binding modes. The review emphasizes that metal chelation often enhances the biological activity of these molecules compared to the free ligands, likely due to increased lipophilicity, stability, and interaction with biological targets.
The authors classify more than 100 coordination complexes reported between 2010 and 2024 according to their coordination motifs, such as maltol-like, acetylacetonate-type, catecholate-type, and mixed-ligand structures. Importantly, nineteen out of twenty-two studies reviewed concluded that metal complexation significantly improved biological activity, especially in cancer cell lines and microbial models.
The review also addresses current limitations in the pharmaceutical development of [M(OH–F)] complexes, particularly their low aqueous solubility. To overcome this, the authors propose structural modifications—including the introduction of nitrogen-containing heterocycles—as well as incorporation into advanced drug delivery systems such as liposomes, solid lipid nanoparticles (SLNs), PLGA nanoparticles, and natural polymer-based carriers like chitosan and alginate. These strategies aim to enhance solubility, bioavailability, and selective targeting, paving the way for clinical translation.
In addition to summarizing biological activity, the review provides critical recommendations for future research, calling for rigorous chemical characterization (NMR, HRMS, EA, XRD), assessment of complex stability in biological media, and more comprehensive biological assays—including evaluation on both cancerous and non-cancerous cell lines, and proper use of reference compounds.
Monica Trif, one of the co-authors, is affiliated with the Centre for Innovative Process Engineering (CENTIV) GmbH in Syke, Germany—one of the partners in the PROMISEANG project consortium. Her contribution reflects the strong research collaboration within the PROMISEANG framework, which supports the development of bio-based and sustainable chemical innovations.
The study acknowledges financial support from the PROMISEANG project (grant agreement No. 101036768), funded by the Bio Based Industries Joint Undertaking (JU) under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme. Additional support was provided by the MET-EFFECT project and the Ministry of Science, Technological Development and Innovation of the Republic of Serbia.
The full article can be accessed here: https://www.mdpi.com/2304-6740/13/8/250