New triorganotin(IV) derivatives of dipeptides with general formulae R(3)Sn(HL), where R = Me and/or n-Bu and/or Ph and HL is the monoanion of glycylglycine (H(2)L-1), glycylvaline (H(2)L-2), glycylleucine (H(2)L-3), glycyltryptophane (H(2)L-4) and glycyltyrosine (H(2)L-5) have been synthesized and characterized on the basis of infrared, multinuclear NMR and (119)Sn Mossbauer spectroscopic studies. All the newly synthesized compounds were examined for their in vivo anti-inflammatory activity (using the carrageenan-induced paw edema bioassay in rats), acute toxicity (LD(50)) and cardiovascular activity. These compounds were also screened for their in vitro antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus aureus Mau (29/58) and (78/71), Bacillus subtilis (18/64), Escherichia coli (326/71), Candida albicans (Pn-10), Microsporum gypseum and Euglena gracillis. The results revealed that triphenyltin(IV) derivatives exhibited anti-inflammatory activity comparable to that of phenylbutazone with high safety margin (LD(50) > 500 mg kg(-1)). Further Ph(3)Sn(Gly-Val) displays a potent cardiovascular activity. Moreover, most of the compounds displayed appreciable antibacterial activities when compared with ampicillin and norfloxacin. Compounds Ph(3)Sn(Gly-Gly) and Ph(3)Sn(Gly-Val) are the most distinctive derivatives identified in the present study because of their promising in vivo anti-inflammatory activity and in vitro antibacterial activity against gram-positive and -negative bacteria.