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Emerging trends and structure–activity insights of Schiff base–lanthanide complexes as antibacterial agents

Sikandar Paswan Orcid Logo, Nitesh Jaiswal Orcid Logo, URVASHI URVASHI, Amar Nath Orcid Logo, Manoj Kumar Orcid Logo, Divya Mishra Orcid Logo, Navneet Yadav

RSC Advances, Volume: 16, Issue: 4, Pages: 3478 - 3508

Swansea University Authors: URVASHI URVASHI, Navneet Yadav

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DOI (Published version): 10.1039/d5ra08181e

Abstract

The rapid escalation of microbial resistance has accelerated the search for next-generation antibacterial agents with novel mechanisms of action. Schiff bases and their lanthanide complexes have emerged as promising candidates due to their tunable structures, coordination versatility and enhanced bi...

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Published in: RSC Advances
ISSN: 2046-2069
Published: Royal Society of Chemistry 2026
Online Access: Check full text

URI: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa71254
Abstract: The rapid escalation of microbial resistance has accelerated the search for next-generation antibacterial agents with novel mechanisms of action. Schiff bases and their lanthanide complexes have emerged as promising candidates due to their tunable structures, coordination versatility and enhanced bioactivity upon metal binding. While earlier reviews laid the foundational understanding of antibacterial activity of Schiff bases and their metal complexes, this review advances the field by offering a data-driven, mechanistically informed and structure–activity-focused perspective on the most recent antibacterial findings (2018–2025) of Schiff bases and their Ln(iii) complexes. In this review article, we critically compare the antibacterial performance of diverse ligand frameworks with lanthanide ions, under varied experimental conditions against both Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacterial strains highlighting trends in structure–activity correlations. We also identify clear trends: Schiff base ligands alone usually show modest or weak antibacterial activity, which is significantly enhanced upon complexation with lanthanide ions. Additionally, unresolved challenges, including toxicity, bioavailability and resistance modulation are discussed alongside proposed future research pathways. This perspective aims to guide the rational design of Schiff base–lanthanide complexes toward clinical translation as potent antibacterial agents.
Item Description: Review
College: Faculty of Science and Engineering
Issue: 4
Start Page: 3478
End Page: 3508