The emerging potential of gallium compounds in medical research: A promising frontier

Abstract

Gallium-based compounds have become increasingly important in medicine due to their remarkable antimicrobial, anti-cancer, and anti-inflammatory properties. In terms of antimicrobial activity, these compounds inhibit the growth of microorganisms by interfering with their essential iron-dependent processes. Gallium competes with iron for binding sites in microbial cells, leading to iron deficiency and subsequent inhibition of microbial growth and replication. In addition, gallium-based compounds have been shown to inhibit the proliferation of cancer cells and induce programmed cell death in various cancer cell lines. Gallium disrupts the iron metabolism of cancer cells, leading to oxidative stress and DNA damage, which ultimately results in cell death. Gallium-based radiotracers have been used for non-invasive imaging of tumors in patients, enabling accurate diagnosis and staging of cancer. In addition, gallium-based compounds have been shown to inhibit the production of inflammatory cytokines and reduce inflammation in various disease models. In this review, many promising results from studies on the medicinal properties of gallium-based compounds are presented, and the structures and mechanisms of action of these compounds are explained as well as possible. However, the toxicity of these compounds is an important factor in exploring their clinical application, which is addressed in this review in the context of the studies conducted in this area.