Thione- and Selone-Containing Compounds, Their Late First Row Transition Metal Coordination Chemistry, and Their Biological Potential

Thione- and selone-containing compounds and their transition metal complexes have been investigated for purposes ranging from antioxidant and anti-tumor activity to materials for optical electronics and light emitting diodes. With current investigations of sulfur-rich metalloenzyme active sites as well as the antioxidant activity of ergothioneine, selenoneine, and thione-containing anti-thyroid drugs, the coordination chemistry of thione and selone ligands with biologically common first-row transition metals has sparked considerable recent interest. This review focuses on the biological functions of thione- and selone-containing compounds, their coordination chemistry with iron, cobalt, nickel, copper, and zinc, and the biological implications of this chalcogenone-metal binding. While thione-metal coordination has been widely studied, only a few selone-metal complexes with first-row transition metals have been reported.