Recent advances in chalcone-based anticancer heterocycles: A structural and molecular target perspective.

Chalcones are an interesting class of compounds endowed with a plethora of biological activities beneficial to human health. These chemo types have continued to attract increased research attention over the years; hence, numerous natural and synthetic chalcones have found with interesting anticancer activities through the inhibition of various molecular targets including ABCG2, BCRP, P-glycoprotein, 5α-reductase, Androgen receptor (AR), Histone deacetylases (HDAC), Sirtuin 1, proteasome, Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), Cathepsin-K, tubulin, CDC25B phosphatase, Topoisomerase, EBV, NF-κB, mTOR, BRAF and Wnt/β-catenin. Moreover, the study of intrinsic mechanisms of action, particularly relating to specific cellular pathways and modes of engagement with molecular targets, may help medicinal chemists to develop a more effective, selective, and cost-effective chalcone-based anticancer drugs. This review, therefore, sheds light on the effect of structural variations on the anticancer potency of chalcone hybrids reported in 2018-2019 alongside their mechanism of action, molecular targets, and potential impacts on effective cancer chemotherapy.