The inorganic pharmaceutical chemistry is a very rapidly developing field of science, which includes the possibility of pharmaceutical use of elements with vital importance and also radioactive elements. Drugs which contain metals are the following ones: compounds with gold (anti-inflammatory drugs), compounds with bismuth (anti-ulcerous drugs), compounds with antimony (anti-parasite drugs). Lately other ions turned up in therapy: Ti, Sn, V, Mn, Ru, Gd, Fe and Pt. These compounds are used in anti-cancerous therapy, in cardiovascular therapy respectively as contrast substances in diagnostic. The so called ligand design allows paramagnetic ions to be targeted to specific organs making possible the use of different radiodiagnostic and therapeutic isotopes. The expanding knowledge of the role of metals in biochemistry is expected to provide scope for the design of new drugs in many other areas too, like neuropharmaceutical and anti-infective drugs.
Keywords: metallic compounds, anti-ulcerous drugs, anti-cancerous therapy, cardiovascular therapy, contrast substances