Mini Reviews in Medicinal Chemistry - Volume 25, Issue 9, 2025

Cancer remains a significant global health burden, placing immense pressure on healthcare systems and putting huge pressure on the healthcare system. There are multiple driving forces, and increasing attention has been gained over the past two decades regarding chronic inflammation, which represents a pivotal factor owing to its ability to establish or maintain an environment that is permissive for tumor initiation, growth, and progression. This review details the interplay between inflammation and cancer by highlighting how chronic inflammation fuels oncogenesis by promoting genetic instability, immune evasion, and a setting rich in pro-tumorigenic signaling. This review explains how various inflammatory mediators, including cytokines and transcription factors, can potentially create tumor microenvironments by drawing on case studies and recent research data. Furthermore, this article provides insights into the molecular mechanisms of Nuclear Factor Kappa B (NF-κB)-regulated pathways and inflammasomes and provides essential molecular links between inflammation and tumorigenesis. Furthermore, novel therapeutic approaches using nanotechnology and immunotherapy are also discussed. Nanotechnology offers precise drug delivery with increased targeting to tumor sites, whereas immunotherapy, including immune checkpoint inhibitors, attempts to restore the functionality of the immune system to recognize and destroy cancer cells. Thus, a combination of these approaches represents a promising new frontier in cancer treatment that addresses both the inflammatory and immune dimensions of oncogenesis. This review highlights the importance of integrating molecular insights into novel therapeutic strategies to address the dual challenges associated with chronic inflammation and cancer. Their development could lead to significant improvements in patient outcomes and reduce global cancer burden.

This analytical mini-review focuses on the effects of trace elements, which includes Cu, Mn, Zn, and Se, as well as some rarer microelements, on the regulation of oxidative stress in the body and of certain diseases associated with it. Synergism and competition between certain microelements have been considered a hot topic in the applied molecular pharmacology of these specific bio-effects. Some ideas for further possible directions of research are expressed. Noteworthy, metal coordinating catalytical sites of certain enzymes function as pharmacophore-forming and connecting nanostructures. These sites can be regarded as targets for various effectors, making them pharmacologically significant contributors to biocatalysis.

Considerable advancements have been made in breast cancer therapeutics in the past few decades. However, the advent of chemo-resistance and adverse drug reactions coupled with tumor metastasis and recurrence posed a serious threat to combat this lethal disease. Novel anti-cancer agents, as well as new therapeutic strategies, are needed to complement conventional breast cancer therapies. The quest for developing novel anti-cancer drugs caused an upsurge in exploring and harnessing natural compounds, especially phytochemicals. Various research groups have explored and documented the anti-cancer potential of wide variety of phytochemical groups including flavonoids (curcumin, kaempferol, myricetin, quercetin, naringenin, apigenin, genistein epigallocatechin gallate), stilbenes (resveratrol), carotenoids (crocin, lycopene, lutein), and anthraquinone (Emodin). However, low chemical stability, poor water solubility, and short systemic half-life impede their clinical utility. The implication of nano-technological approaches to decode the pharmacokinetic challenges associated with phytochemical usage, as well as selective drug targeting, have markedly enhanced the pre-clinical anti-cancer activity, thus aiding in their clinical translation. This review documented the recent advances in utilizing phytochemicals for breast cancer prevention and lipid-based nanotechnological approaches for circumventing their pharmacokinetic concerns to enhance their systemic availability, cytotoxicity, and targeted delivery against breast cancer alone as well as in combination with conventional therapeutic agents.

Hydantoin, a five-membered heterocyclic scaffold, is regarded as a crucial scaffold in medicinal chemistry. Hydantoins have been useful in synthesizing medicines like nilutamide, enzalutamide, and apalutamide. Thiohydantoin and selenohydantoin have been discovered as two separate types of hydantoin. There are two hydrogen bond donors, two hydrogen bond acceptors, and four substitution sites. These characteristics have led to the design, synthesis, and expansion of hydantoin derivatives' biological and pharmacological effects against numerous types of malignancies. This study reviews the recent contributions of hydantoin and its isosteric variants to medicinal chemistry. To emphasize their significance, certain significant compounds based on hydantoins and their structure activity relationships (SAR) are briefly discussed. We thoroughly analyzed each scaffolds' structural characteristics and SAR, and these scaffolds may one day show potential anticancer activities.