Recent Developments in the Synthesis and Anticancer Activity of Indole and Its Derivatives

Abstract: Heterocyclic compounds are a class of compounds that is deeply intertwined with biological processes and is found in about 90% of commercially available medicines. They serve a critical function in medicinal chemistry and are focused in the field of medication development for their intensive research due to their broad variety of biological effects because of their intriguing molecular architecture, such as indoles are good candidates for drug development. It is a bicyclic structure consisting of a six-membered benzene ring fused to a five-membered pyrrole ring with several pharmacophores that yield a library of different lead compounds. Human cancer cells have been demonstrated to be inhibited by indoles in the development of new anticancer medicines. This is the first comprehensive review to focus on current methodologies for incorporating indole moiety, with their mechanistic targets as anticancer drugs, in order to shed light on the logical development of indole-based anticancer treatment options with high efficacy. This compiled data may serve as a benchmark for modifying existing ligands in order to design novel potent molecules through excellent yield synthesis techniques.