Decoding the Anticancer Potential of Natural N-Heterocycles: MolecularFrameworks, Bioactivity, and Mechanistic Advances

Cancer is the leading cause of death and morbidity worldwide. Numerous scientists are trying to develop new anticancer medications that are more potent and less hazardous. This review, in contrast to previous reviews, focuses on the latest research findings from 2020–2025 on N-heterocyclic moieties as natural anticancer agents. This review provides a contemporary evaluation that integrates recent mechanistic discoveries, emerging nanotechnology-based delivery approaches, and translational progress relevant to natural Nheterocyclic anticancer agents. The literature was collected from online sources such as PubMed, Science Direct, Embase, and Google Scholar by searching with keywords like research paper on Natural N-heterocyclic products having anticancer activity, etc. The findings suggest that combining naturally obtained N-heterocyclic compounds with nanotechnology can provide us with a low-toxic anticancer drug in the future. The process of combining natural products containing N-Heterocyclic moieties with nanotechnology can be a game-changer for the development of anticancer medications. Still, there is a lot of research to be done in this area, which can change the viewpoint of the world regarding the treatment of cancer.