From Nature to Drug Discovery: The Indole Scaffold as a ‘Privileged Structure’ for breast Cancer

Abstract

Breast cancer is still the leading cause of cancer deaths among women worldwide. According to the Global Cancer Observatory (GLOBOCAN) reports, there were more than 19 million cancer cases worldwide for the year 2020[1]. India ranked third after China and the United States of America. According to GLOBOCAN prediction the cancer cases in India would increase to approximately more than 2 million, that is, increase of more than 57 per cent in 2040 from 2020[2]. For treatment of breast cancer new therapies and drugs are continuously being conceived and explored. Recent results from literature search have suggested the benefits of indole based compounds for the prevention of many types of cancer, including breast cancer. Among the most efficacious drugs for treatment of breast cancer are indole based therapeutics such as structurally complex antimitotic vinca alkaloids, and the synthetic receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor sunitinib. Indole based molecules show their anti-breast cancer activity through various mechanistic pathway (Fig. 1). This review will ellaborate an insight into the latest developments in the field of indole based drugs against breast cancers with a special emphasis onindole containing natural products, semi-synthetic and synthetic molecules and their targets and modes of action.