Indole-3-carbinol is a natural compound present in cruciferous plants, which upon digestion, converts into 3,3'-diindolylmethane (DIM) under acidic pH of the stomach. In recent years, various methods have been developed to improve the synthesis of DIM and its analogs because of different pharmacological activities like anticancer, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, etc. Among them, DIMs anticancer activity by modulation of protein expression in cell signaling pathways and other factors has widely studied. This review describes the antiproli-ferative activity of DIMs and its mode of action, which resulted in apoptosis in various cancerous cells. We have performed a literature search on DIMs anticancer activity over the last ten years (2011-2020) and reported in this review. Several fascinating DIM attributes against cancer suggest it as a potential candidate for further drug development programs. This review will guide the medicinal chemist to find the mechanistic pathways involved in the inhibition of proliferation in cancerous cells by novel DIMs.
The use of inexpensive K2S2O8 in water at room temperature for synthesis of bis(indolyl)methanes (BIMs) from simple indoles and alcohols is reported. The key step involves the conversion of alcohols...
Hypoxia is a condition caused by a decrease in oxygen and is often seen in cases of cardiac ischemia, solid tumors, inflammation, and other diseases. Tumor hypoxia can result in cancer invasion, metastasis, decreased apoptosis, and resistance to various therapies (chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and radiotherapy), ultimately reducing overall survival rates. These effects of hypoxia underline the need to monitor hypoxia‐associated specific markers for more effective therapeutic intervention. Nitroreductase (NTR) is a common biomarker of hypoxia, via its reduction activity with nitroaromatic compounds to corresponding amino derivatives using NADH and NADPH as cofactor. The NTR expression level can be correlated to cellular hypoxia. Therefore, developing a diagnostic tool for measuring NTR activity is of immense importance for improving treatment efficacies. To leverage NTR activity as a proxy of hypoxia, small molecule based fluorescent probes have been developed as quantifiable probes. To date, several NTR‐sensitive fluorescent probes have been reported. This review is focuses on the advances in these fluorescent NTR probes over the last five years.
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