Therapeutical potential of metal complexes of quinoxaline derivatives: a review
Chrisant William Kayogolo, Maheswara Rao Vegi, Bajarang Bali Lal Srivastava, Mtabazi G. Sahini
Abstract
Quinoxaline moieties have been subject of voluminous research for their use as precursors and intermediates in drug discovery, due to their diverse therapeutic potentials. Derivatives of quinoxaline have been reported to possess antibacterial, antifungal, antitubercular, antitumor, antidiabetic, anti-inflammatory, anticonvulsant, antiprotozoal and insecticidal activities as well as kinase inhibitors. Owing to the drug-resistance issues associated with existing drugs, strategies to improve the mode of action of these compounds by complexing them to transition metal ions are a current endeavor. Such combinations have demonstrated improved biological activities relative to the individual quinoxaline derivatives, which is attributed to increased liposolubility. The present manuscript reviews therapeutic roles of metal complexes of functionalized quinoxaline motifs for their application in drug development. The structure of the compounds, the DNA binding studies, electrochemical behavior, DFT studies, molecular docking studies, and the mechanism of action of the complexes are also included in the discussion.