Introducing Metallosalens into Biological Studies: The Renaissance of Traditional Coordination Complexes

Metal complexes attract great attention in the context of biological applications because of their attractive structures and intriguing physicochemical properties. Combinations of the core structures of salen ligands and various metal ions provide many possibilities for incorporation of diverse biological functionalities unachievable with conventional small-molecule organic compounds. The past decade has witnessed remarkable progress in the field of metallosalens; here we present a microreview of recent advances in their biological applications. This microreview is divided into four categories: DNA binding, fluorescent imaging, magnetic resonance imaging, and potential drugs. Each approach is described with representative examples. The fundamental principles of the relationship between structures and biological behaviors of metallosalens are featured, from the perspective of current opportunities and challenges in applying metallosalens in biology.