The recent surge in medicinal inorganic chemistry papers is really encouraging for our field, yet I feel the need to point out that any study that investigates in vitro or in vivo tox of coordination complexes MUST also include analysis of complex inertness in relevant media. 1/4

These studies are easy to do via HPLC or even UV/Vis (with TMs we often have really nice spectroscopic handles!) but absolutely essential to determine if the tested compounds would even survive formulation in buffer and subsequent injection into a mammal. 2/4

This also allows assessment of solubility in injectable and biocompatible media. So... if your complex is only soluble in 100% DMSO, you’ve likely made an excellent liver toxin with limited ability to access tumors in peripheral tissues. I know these studies are a PITA... 3/4

But if you don’t do them routinely in addition to exhaustive in vitro Tox panels, you run the risk of spending a lot of effort on compounds that won’t stand the in vivo test... If you need protocols, reach out. We do these things routinely and will gladly share our expertise. 4/4