Recent Advances in Quinoline-Conjugated Analogues: Patents and its Synthetic Approach in Cancer

Quinoline is a unique heterocyclic compound with vast pharmacological capacity and has gained immense popularity in the fight against cancer. Quinoline derivative compounds allow for the enhancement of the anticancer potency and potential interaction with various drug targets. This review is devoted to the newest advancements in the production, testing, and patenting of quinoline-based anticancer medicines. The modern synthetical methods consist of various approaches, such as the Vilsmeier-Haack reaction, Suzuki coupling, multicomponent Povarov reaction, cycloaddition reaction, N-alkylation, N-acylation, and other functionalization methods. The studies conducted show the effectiveness of quinoline derivatives in treating breast, lung, pancreatic, colon, ovary, and other cancer types, involving the following mechanisms: EGFR, VEGFR-2, PLK1, topoisomerase I/II, ROS-mediated apoptosis, tubulin disruption, and cell cycle regulation. There are derivatives showing low micromolar cytotoxicity with good anticancer selectivity. The patent content indicates that interest in the use of quinoline anticancer drugs is growing now. Overall, it is obvious that quinoline-based drugs can be an effective method of treatment.