Significance of Imidazole in Cancer Drug Discovery: Recent Advancements

Imidazole is a potent heterocyclic structure which is axiomatic and is a five-membered aromatic structure with two nitrogen atoms. The reason why this configuration is most sought in medicinal chemistry is due to its desirable properties such as high stability and water solubility coupled with proper hydrogen bonding capability. Ethyleneurea and also imidazole and its derivatives have been extensively used in the design of anti-cancer drugs because of the wide range of anti-cancer effects such substances possess, for example, binding to DNA, inhibiting enzymes, and regulating receptors, among many others. In this paper, all available literature will be presented, but special focus will be on the recent trends in imidazole-based drug design and therapy of malignancies along with their mechanisms of action and therapeutic efficacy.