Heterocyclic Anti-cancer Compounds Derived from Natural Sources with their Mechanism of Action

The variety of natural compounds is indispensable due to their mechanism of action. For many years, natural compounds have been used to develop new classes of chemotherapeutic agents. Chemotherapeutic agents derived and synthesised from natural sources could be the best possible alternatives to minimise the harmful aftereffects of conventionally used agents against cancer, especially oral and maxillofacial carcinoma and tumors. The proposed chapter concentrates on recent research on various classes of natural scaffolds and their analogues that possess potent antitumor activity. Moreover, we would like to provide an analysis of preclinical and/or clinically investigated natural compounds. These compounds and their synthetic heterocyclic analogues were found to be obtained through bioactivity and mechanism of actiondirected isolation and characterization, conjoined with modification using rational drug design-based approaches and analogue synthesis. Structure-activity relationships, structural change, and molecular mechanisms of action will all be examined.

Keywords: Anti-cancer, Drug-design, Heterocycles, Natural compounds, Natural scaffolds, Oral and maxillofacial carcinoma.