Rhenium Complexes as Antimicrobial Agents

The escalating crisis of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) necessitates the exploration of unconventional therapeutic scaffolds. Metalloantibiotics, including those based on rhenium, have emerged as a promising, albeit underdeveloped, class of drug candidates. This review provides an analysis of the research on rhenium complexes as antimicrobial agents, tracing their origins from the well‐established anticancer and radiopharmaceutical applications of the compounds. We focus predominantly on the versatile fac ‐[Re(CO) 3 ] + core, which constitutes the majority of reported antimicrobial complexes, while also examining recent research into higher oxidation state species. We detail the key structural motifs of these antibiotic complexes and correlate them with their observed antimicrobial efficacy, particularly against high‐priority Gram‐positive pathogens like methicillin‐resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). The proposed mechanisms of action are also discussed, as are chemical modifications of the fac ‐[Re(CO) 3 ] + core that have allowed an understanding of the key molecular features required for antimicrobial efficacy.