This review summarises patents published from 2001 to 2004 on the microcidal properties of silver-releasing materials for healthcare and medicine. The anti-inflammatory, re-epitheliasation and antihaemorrhagic properties of the silver-releasing materials are also disclosed. A biological evaluation of the anti-viral properties of silver tetra-silver tetra-oxide is discussed, but no biological data have been reported to support the claim that silver (I) has anti--viral prop-erties, as disclosed by most of the patents.

Because of their great structural diversity and multitude of chemical properties, N-heterocyclic carbenes (NHCs) have been utilized in a variety of capacities. Most recently, NHCs have been utilized as carrier molecules for many transition metals in medicinal chemistry. Specifically, Ag(I)-NHCs have been investigated as potent antibacterial agents and chemotherapeutics and have shown great efficacy in both in vitro and in vivo studies. Ag(I)-NHC compounds have been shown to be effective against a wide range of both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacterial strains. Many compounds have also shown great efficacy as antitumor agents demonstrating comparable or better antitumor activity than standard chemotherapeutics such as cisplatin and 5-fluorouracil. While these compounds have shown great promise, clinical use has remained an unattained goal. Current research has been focused upon synthesis of novel Ag(I)-NHC compounds and further investigations of their antibacterial and antitumor activity. This review will focus on recent advances of Ag(I)-NHCs in medicinal applications.

A class of Ag(I) N-heterocyclic carbene silver complexes, 1–3, derived from 4,5-dichloro-1H-imidazole has been evaluated for their anticancer activity against the human cancer cell lines OVCAR-3 (ovarian), MB157 (breast), and Hela (cervical). Silver complexes 1–3 are active against the ovarian and breast cancer cell lines. A preliminary in vivo study shows 1 to be active against ovarian cancer in mice. The results obtained in these studies warrant further investigation of these compounds in vivo.

This perspective discusses the uses of silver for both antimicrobial and anticancer applications. It focuses on the synthesis of silver N-heterocyclic carbene complexes (SCCs) and their in vitro efficacy against a broad spectrum of bacteria, as well as their antitumor properties. Finally, different polymeric nanoparticles are discussed as delivery vehicles for the encapsulation of SCCs and other therapeutic agents for use in vivo.