Naturally Occurring O-Heterocycles as Anticancer Agents

Cancer is a leading cause of death worldwide. Proper efficient drugs are required to treat this deadly disease. Natural products have long been a vital source of anticancer agents and they have generated various “lead compounds” suitable for drug developments. With the recent advancement of chemical synthesis and bioevaluation techniques, these lead compounds of natural origins have been utilized for the production of useful anticancer drugs. Among the naturally occurring bioactive compounds, various O-heterocycles have been evaluated as remarkable cancer therapeutic agents. These compounds generally possess unique structures and novel mechanisms of action. In the present review article, some selected O-heterocycles as promoting anticancer agents have been discussed in brief. Various natural sources and chemistry, as well as bioactivities of these compounds, have been described. The development of improved analogues of these compounds through synthetic modifications and efficient bioevaluation, along with proper studies on structure-activity relationship and mechanism of actions, has been mentioned. The article has demonstrated the recent relevance of naturally occurring O-heterocyclic compounds in the current anticancer drug discovery and development scenario.