The occurrence of drug-resistant bacteria is drastically rising and new and effective antibiotic classes are urgently needed. However, most of the compounds in development are minor modifications of previously used drugs to which bacteria can easily develop resistance. The investigation of inorganic and organometallic compounds as antibiotics is an alternative approach that holds great promises due to the ability of such molecules to trigger metal-specific mechanisms of action, which results in lethal consequences for pathogens. In this review, a selection of concepts to rationally design inorganic and organometallic antibiotics is discussed, highlighting their advantages by comparing them to classical drug discovery programmes. The review concludes with a short perspective for the future of antibiotic drug development and the role metal-based compounds will play in the field.

中文翻译：

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无机和有机金属抗菌剂的合理方法

耐药细菌的出现急剧增加，迫切需要新的有效抗生素类别。然而，大多数正在开发的化合物都是对以前使用的药物的微小修改，细菌很容易产生耐药性。将无机和有机金属化合物作为抗生素进行研究是一种替代方法，由于此类分子能够触发金属特异性作用机制，从而对病原体造成致命后果，因此具有很大的前景。在这篇综述中，讨论了一些合理设计无机和有机金属抗生素的概念，并通过将它们与经典药物发现计划进行比较来突出它们的优势。