Journey of anthraquinones as anticancer agents – a systematic review of recent literature. Issue 57 (5th November 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Malik, M. Shaheer; Alsantali, Reem I.; Jassas, Rabab S.; Alsimaree, Abdulrahman A.; Syed, Riyaz; Alsharif, Meshari A.; Kalpana, Kulkarni; Morad, Moataz; Althagafi, Ismail I.; Ahmed, Saleh A.
• Is Part Of: RSC advances. Volume 11:Issue 57(2021)
• Page Start: 35806
• Page End: 35827
• Publication Date: 2021-11-05
• Subjects: Chemistry -- Periodicals; 540.5
• DOI: 10.1039/d1ra05686g
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2046-2069

Abstract

Abstract : Anthraquinones are privileged chemical motifs with diverse therapeutic applications, especially in the treatment of cancer. The extensive literature highlights the significance of anthraquinones as potent anticancer agents. Abstract : Anthraquinones are privileged chemical scaffolds that have been used for centuries in various therapeutic applications. The anthraquinone moiety forms the core of various anticancer agents. However, the emergence of drug-resistant cancers warrants the development of new anticancer agents. The research endeavours towards new anthraquinone-based compounds are increasing rapidly in recent years. They are used as a core chemical template to achieve structural modifications, resulting in the development of new anthraquinone-based compounds as promising anticancer agents. Mechanistically, most of the anthraquinone-based compounds inhibit cancer progression by targeting essential cellular proteins. Herein, we review new anthraquinone analogues that have been developed in recent years as anticancer agents. This includes a systematic review of the recent literature (2005–2021) on anthraquinone-based compounds in cell-based models and key target proteins such as kinases, topoisomerases, telomerases, matrix metalloproteinases and G-quadruplexes involved in the viability of cancer cells. In addition to this, the developments in PEG-based delivery of anthraquinones and the toxicity aspects of anthraquinone derivatives are also discussed. The review dispenses a compact background knowledge to understanding anthraquinones for future research on the expansion of anticancer therapeutics.