Imidazole is a five-membered heterocyclic system featuring two nitrogen heteroatoms at the 1- and 3-positions of the ring. The imidazole scaffold is particularly suited for kinase inhibition concepts. This further confirms that this scaffold is a privileged structure in the development of anticancer drugs. Considering these key factors and the recent focus of scientists on imidazole compounds, we discuss the anticancer activities of imidazole-containing hybrids and related compounds, highlighting articles published in 2023 that serve as a basis for medicinal chemistry leads. From a chemical perspective, the present review emphasizes hybrid molecules with an imidazole ring in the side chain, imidazole-centered hybrid molecules, condensed imidazole hybrids, hybrid compounds containing two or more imidazole rings, polycyclic imidazole hybrids, imidazole-containing metal complexes, and benzimidazole hybrids.

An important field of research in medicinal and organic chemistry involves halogen-containing heterocyclic synthones, which form the backbone of more complex organic compounds. This study aimed to design and synthesize 28 novel derivatives of 7-aryl-2,3-dihydropyrrolo[2,1-b]quinazolin-9(1H)-one. The derivatives were created from 7-bromoquinoline intermediates to evaluate their potential as cholinesterase inhibitors for treating neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease. The conditions for the Suzuki–Miyaura cross-coupling reaction were optimized to improve yield and purity. The derivatives were evaluated for their anticholinesterase activity using Ellman’s method, revealing that it most effectively inhibited cholinesterase within the micromolar range. 7-(3-Chloro-4-fluorophenyl)-2,3-dihydropyrrolo[2,1-b]quinazolin-9(1H)-one derivative exhibited the highest inhibitory potency, with an IC₅₀ value of 6.084 ± 0.26 μM. Additionally, molecular dynamics simulations provided insight into how this lead compound interacts with the enzyme, suggesting its potential as a drug candidate for Alzheimer’s disease.

The pyrrolo[2,3-d]pyrimidine (7-deazapurine) scaffold is a unique heterocyclic system included in the composition of most nucleotides. In this study, series of the pyrrolo[2,3-d]pyrimidine-imines and 3-halo-substituted pyrrolo[2,3-d]pyrimidines were designed and prepared in high yields. Condensed pyrimidines are obtained via carbonyl-amine condensation and carbon-halogen bond formation. Pyrrolo[2,3-d]pyrimidine-imines containing a bromine substituent at position C-4 of the phenyl ring and azepine side-ring exhibited superior antitumor activity on the colon cancer HT-29 cell line; IC₅₀ values were 4.55 and 4.01 µM, respectively. These results revealed an interesting pattern, where condensed pyrimidinones containing an azepine ring demonstrated selective antitumor activity on the colon cancer cell line HT-29. In addition, the molecular docking results suggest that compound 8g provided a thorough understanding of its interactions with the DDR2 active site. This could pave the way for further development and optimization of DDR-targeting drugs, contributing to advancements in cancer therapeutics. This lead compound may serve as design templates for further studies.