The invention relates to the treatment of viral, bacterial, parasitic, proliferative diseases, neurodegenerative diseases, inflammatory diseases,
immunological diseases, transplanted organ rejection, and diseases produced by intoxication with
heavy metals. The invention relates to the use of specific
metal chelating agents including, furoic acid, 2-thiophenecarboxylic acid and their derivatives, analogs and structurally related chemicals as pharmacological agents that can be used effectively to disrupt and inactivate specific
transition metal ion containing
zinc finger structural motifs in metalloproteins and specific
transition metal ion containing catalytic sites in metalloproteinases, which in turn, inactivate the pathogenic
virus, pathogenic prokaryotic or eukaryotic cells which produces
disease conditions. The preparations can be administered topically or for systemic use. The preparations are novel wide-spectrum
antibiotics which have antiviral, antiproliferative, antineoplastic, antiangiogenic, antibacterial,
antiparasitic, antiinfective, and anti-inflammatory effects and can be used in the treatment and prevention of diseases such as AIDS, cancers, untoward
angiogenesis, pulmonary anthrax,
malaria, inflammatory responses, Alzheimer's
disease and other diseases.