Terpenes are among the most diverse kinds of natural products because of their remarkable chemical variety. Numerous biological characteristics of terpenoids have been documented, including their antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral, antihyperglycemic, anti-inflammatory, and antiparasitic effects, as well as their cancer chemopreventive benefits. Additionally, terpenes are utilized in the manufacturing of organic solvents, varnishes, inks, adhesives, synthetic polymers, natural rubbers, cleaning supplies, biofuels, insecticides, and food and beverage items. Terpenes are therefore highly valued in modern medicine, pharmacy, nutraceuticals, cosmetics, and other fields. Plant oils, including terpenes, have been used to treat a variety of diseases without a full understanding of the roles or modes of action of particular bioactive substances. Many of these compounds are only present in nature in extremely small amounts; thus, methods such as metabolic engineering and synthetic biology are used to harvest them in large quantities in order to produce enough medicine. This comprehensive review aims to elucidate the biochemistry, phytochemical properties, and pharmacological activities of terpenes in metabolic disorders.

The receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE) is a member of the immunoglobulin family that is overexpressed in several cancers. RAGE is highly expressed in the lung, and its expression increases proportionally at the site of inflammation. This receptor can bind a variety of ligands, including advanced glycation end products, high mobility group box 1, S100 proteins, adhesion molecules, complement components, advanced lipoxidation end products, lipopolysaccharides, and other molecules that mediate cellular responses related to acute and chronic inflammation. RAGE serves as an important node for the initiation and stimulation of cell stress and growth signaling mechanisms that promote carcinogenesis, tumor propagation, and metastatic potential. In this review, we discuss different aspects of RAGE and its prominent ligands implicated in cancer pathogenesis and describe current findings that provide insights into the significant role played by RAGE in cancer. Cancer development can be hindered by inhibiting the interaction of RAGE with its ligands, and this could provide an effective strategy for cancer treatment.

Terpenoids are a group of secondary metabolites derived from isoprene and are among the most diverse natural products responsible for crucial role in the metabolism of organisms. They are found in various forms, including terpene hydrocarbons, alcohols, aldehydes, carboxylic acids, ketones, esters, and glycosides. Terpenes have a broad range of medicinal properties and are used to prepare drugs such as artemisinin. Metallic nanoparticles that are formed by plants have garnered significant interest across various fields, including medicine, the environment, food processing, and agriculture. Using plant extracts to reduce metals is regarded as both eco-friendly and affordable and has recently gained popularity for synthesizing various classes of nanoparticles. In this study, we reviewed plant-derived terpenes (monoterpenes, sesquiterpenes, diterpenes, sesquiterpenes, triterpenes, and meroterpenes), their applications in medicine, and for the synthesis of nanoparticles. This review is relevant to researchers interested in combating bacterial infections and cancers and in using terpenoids in the synthesis of nanoparticles.

Azaheterocycles are three-membered rings, known as aziridines, that occur naturally and have pharmaceutical applications.These compounds are present as several secondary metabolites produced by plants and microorganisms.Recent studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of aziridine derivatives (N-H/N-Me) as anticancer agents.We synthesized 18 compounds containing an N-Me enone aziridine group, the chemistry of which has been previously published. However, these compounds have drug-likeness properties; therefore, we aimed to demonstrate their drug-like properties using in silico and in vitro investigations.The molecular structures of the compounds were optimized using density functional theory (DFT). The ADMET parameters of the derivatives were calculated using SwissADME and PreADMET. Additionally, these derivatives were evaluated for their ability to bind to caspase-3 and caspase-9 and then subjected to molecular docking. The lead chemical AY128 maintained stable complexes with target proteins during molecular dynamics simulations, as evidenced by the root mean square deviation (RMSD) and root mean square fluctuation (RMSF) parameters. In vitro cytotoxicity and ELISA tests showed that the novel aziridine derivatives, especially AY128, had strong anticancer activity against HepG2 hepatocellular carcinoma cells.Our study suggests that AY128 may be a potential drug candidate for hepatocellular carcinoma through the caspase-3 and caspase-9-dependent apoptotic pathways.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.