DITHIOCARBAMATE COMPLEXES: EMERGING ROLES IN METALLOTHERAPY AND MEDICAL IMAGING

Dithiocarbamates have been rated as versatile sulfur-based ligands that exhibit a high affinity for transition metals, forming stable metal complexes with diverse geometries and oxidation states. These metal-dithiocarbamate complexes have gained increasing attention for their significant roles in biomedical sciences, particularly in metallotherapy and medical imaging. Metallotherapeutic applications span across anticancer, antimicrobial, antiparasitic, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory domains due to their unique mechanisms of action involving redox activity, DNA interaction, and enzyme inhibition. In parallel, the development of dithiocarbamate complexes as diagnostic agents—particularly in radiopharmaceuticals and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)—has opened new pathways for early disease detection and treatment monitoring. This review discusses the chemical characteristics, coordination behavior, therapeutic potential, imaging capabilities, and future prospects of dithiocarbamate metal complexes, emphasizing their dual utility in therapy and diagnosis