Abstract:
The need for innovative anticancer treatments with high effectiveness and low toxicity is urgent due to the
development of malignancies that are resistant to chemotherapeutic agents and the poor specificity of existing
anticancer treatments. Chalcones are 1,3-diaryl-2-propen-1-ones, which are the precursors for flavonoids and
isoflavonoids. Chalcones are readily available from a wide range of natural resources and consist of very basic
chemical scaffolds. Because the ease with which the synthesis it allows for the production of several chalcone
derivatives. Various in-vitro and in-vivo studies indicate that naturally occurring and synthetic chalcone de-
rivatives exhibit promising biological activities against cancer hallmarks such as proliferation, angiogenesis,
invasion, metastasis, inflammation, stemness, and regulation of cancer epigenetics. According to their structure
and functional groups, chalcones derivatives and their hybrid compounds exert a broad range of biological ac-
tivities through targeting key elements and signaling molecules relevant to cancer progression. This review will
provide valuable insights into the latest updates of chalcone groups as anticancer agents and extensively discuss
their underlying molecular mechanisms of action.
