Background: Cancer accounts for several deaths each year. There are multiple FDA approved drugs for cancer treatments. Due to the severe side effects and multiple drug resistance, the current drug therapies become ineffective. So, the newer moieties with fewer toxic effects are necessary for the development. Objective: The mechanism of indole derivatives as anti-cancer agents with their major target is explored in detail in this article. Methods: Recent advances and mechanism of indole derivatives as anti-cancer agents are reviewed. This review suggests a detailed explanation of multiple mechanisms of action of various indole derivatives: cell cycle arrest, aromatase inhibitor estrogen receptor regulator, tubulin inhibitor, a tyrosine kinase inhibitor, topoisomerase inhibitors, NFkB/PI3/Akt/mTOR pathway inhibitors, through which these derivatives have shown promising anti-cancer potential. Results: A full literature review showed that the indole derivatives are associated with the properties of inducing apoptosis, aromatase inhibition, regulation of estrogen receptor and inhibition of tyrosine kinase, tubulin assembly, NFkB/PI3/Akt/mTOR pathway, and HDACs. These derivatives have shown significant activity against cancer cell lines. Conclusion: Indole derivatives seem to be important in cancer via acting through various mechanisms. This review has shown that the indole derivatives can further be explored for the betterment of cancer treatment, and to discover the hidden potential of indole derivatives.

There was a golden era where everyone thought that microbes can no longer establish threat to humans but the time has come where microbes are proposing strong resistance against the majority of antimicrobials. Over the years, the inappropriate use and easy availability of antimicrobials have made antimicrobial resistance (AMR) to emerge as the world’s third leading cause of death. Microorganisms over the time span have acquired resistance through various mechanisms such as efflux pump, transfer through plasmids causing mutation, changing antimicrobial site of action, or modifying the antimicrobial which will lead to become AMR as the main cause of death worldwide by 2030. In order to overcome the emerging resistance against majority of antimicrobials, there is a need to uncover drugs from plants because they have proved to be effective antimicrobials due to the presence of secondary metabolites such as terpenoids. Terpenoids abundant in nature are produced in response to microbial attack have huge potential against various microorganisms through diverse mechanisms such as membrane disruption, anti-quorum sensing, inhibition of protein synthesis and ATP. New approaches like combination therapy of terpenoids and antimicrobials have increased the potency of treatment against various multidrug resistant microorganisms by showing synergism to each other.

Cancer is one of the most concerning diseases to humankind. Various treatment strategies are being employed for its treatment, out of which use of natural products is an essential one. Flavonoids have proven to be promising anticancer targets since decades. Also, tubulin is a significant biological target for the development of anticancer agents due to its crucial role in mitosis and abundance throughout the body. In the current study, in silico ADMET parameters of 104 flavonoids were examined, followed by molecular docking with the colchicine binding site of Tubulin protein (PDB; Id 4O2B). The best conformation from each flavonoid subcategory with the best docking score (MolDock score) was further subjected to 100 ns of molecular dynamics to investigate the protein-ligand complex’s stability. Different parameters such as RMSD, RMSF, rGy and SASA were calculated for the six flavonoids using molecular dynamic studies. The top most compound from all the six subcategories of flavonoids elicited best behavior in the colchicine binding site of Tubulin protein. This in silico study employing molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulation provides strong evidence for flavonoids to be excellent anti-tubulin agents for the treatment of cancer. Graphical Abstract Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma

Microsponges are polymeric delivery devices composed of porous microspheres that range in size from 5 to 300 micrometers. These have been explored for biomedical applications such as targeted drug delivery, transdermal drug delivery, anticancer drug delivery, and bone substitutes. The purpose of this study is to conduct a comprehensive analysis of recent developments and prospects for a microsponge-based drug delivery system. The current study analyzes how the Microsponge Delivery System (MDS) is made, how it works, and how it can be used for a wide range of therapeutic purposes. The therapeutic potential and patent information of microsponge-based formulations were systematically analyzed. The authors summarize various effective techniques for developing microsponges, such as liquid-liquid suspension polymerization, quasi-emulsion solvent diffusion method, water-in-oil-in-water (w/o/w) emulsion solvent diffusion, oil-in-oil emulsion solvent diffusion, lyophilization method, porogen addition method, vibrating orifice aerosol generator method, electrohydrodynamic atomization method, and ultrasound-assisted microsponge. Microsponge may reduce the side effects and increase drug stability by positively altering drug release. Drugs that are both hydrophilic and hydrophobic can be loaded into a microsponge and delivered to a specific target. The microsponge delivery technology offers numerous advantages over conventional delivery systems. Microsponges, which are spherical sponge-like nanoparticles with porous surfaces, have the potential to increase the stability of medications. They also efficiently decrease the undesirable effects and alter drug release.