Abstract

Metals in Medicine: An Overview

Author(s): Atreyee Basu

Metal ions play many critical functions in humans. Deficiency of some metal ions can lead to disease like pernicious anemia resulting from iron deficiency, growth retardation arising from insufficient dietary zinc, and heart disease in infants owing to copper deficiency. The ability to understand at the molecular level and to treat diseases caused by inadequate metal-ion function constitutes an important aspect of medicinal bioinorganic chemistry. Metal ions are required in biology for their role as pharmaceuticals as well as diagnostic agents. This review is aimed to provide a historical perspective of the varied roles of various metal ions