Figure 1.
![Selected anticancer derivatives of β-lactam derivatives, carbazoles, isatin derivatives, PBD, and pyrido[2,3-d]pyrimidine. PBDs, pyrrolo-benzodiazepines.](https://sciendo-parsed.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/69970fb10883ce575fb68836/j_abm-2025-0035_fig_001.jpg?X-Amz-Algorithm=AWS4-HMAC-SHA256&X-Amz-Content-Sha256=UNSIGNED-PAYLOAD&X-Amz-Credential=ASIA6AP2G7AKBODIFHJH%2F20260220%2Feu-central-1%2Fs3%2Faws4_request&X-Amz-Date=20260220T202814Z&X-Amz-Expires=3600&X-Amz-Security-Token=IQoJb3JpZ2luX2VjENP%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2FwEaDGV1LWNlbnRyYWwtMSJIMEYCIQDdcJB0Vdr5f2YK9mj%2B4a35KIlevNaVFisM%2FLSPBBMbpAIhANweRjQPjRnIQU9iGct1jQPZVlYGL%2F%2BlnPXivXVVeCZdKsQFCJz%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2FwEQAhoMOTYzMTM0Mjg5OTQwIgymGe2EIqav2f4AbEYqmAWYaekdiUuA8tsGhBwI74jvu%2B6RgITIDZpZvwArR3i2fBz96hGUJxzprDeIIHzd9ynPZaVbUnnuyqYnpEBCXlXUXyVcJWw1E%2BU37esjhEvNE2qysPxJy%2B4WQYCq5BnBAP0RCUNOj0GWHoc10zZ99T4nbA4K79rA9YRK0uLZddWnDNVoF6qcaeptHCaW0nno%2Fx26DjuBZbL%2FSXFh9DhQmsJVSG6qUeVLg8Vsw6BFYEX%2Fh39HBxpOgrImtAosIuyCUFnINs%2BeMzRad37oYKmS%2FJGwKbqgGIAwvvP55dVJvn0CZ4LB2FRmL%2BygE0M95k08HRIweYOQ6W%2F573ekDbWH86KQtJbZyM33tu3Fr1BXbptSiAwXd%2FCJsGBUpdF2Q%2BR5X9i8vqW3dwthXaFQBMz4u0SuN%2Bo9NI2wxNZzbK%2FrXIYludV5Bc1q6qz9YJ2u2xQQk6Zfffmhno8Ph15qbuW%2BSrbkFG52IwcOgsk%2F%2F00HcgalaIbEHLpzOH2ici5iDfDxBpS%2BXCOIBzoO9CsmSMxkOgHjaXFySuhuwJrDrMfI1NlrjajtP2UREyFCiGxcIrCax8sNZZ5Cx2swAm8YCmTSZzu52fUeSvb%2F2C3uTA2S6amWVV47jI9b8DaWW4BH2It6IyIfVYHuTKPexC%2F%2FkGn7vUpUF6Baa1IOtPVnqsgZ9gfQAVb57Rc27qbwhLsdELhln2u9QgRvjO88%2FmVYjckMrViB9sPzeqX12qviX7xKsHWMWlxUswkK3fK5J2%2BCSsh1pb8AtvfSNgFEF58E1dkr54m8s1ix36FdjfVvQ3EG5iVU2DmxTLjNTxAYVj4VoU%2Bgb8kHz%2FB73VuzijVitYu2E8To2HzkZseEz6lL%2BCaSUOQgPOQ77M%2BhD5IdMIXT4swGOrABDNXOkXrP9N%2FmYSsRnSZ6gRxNQ0QX%2Fn2p%2FGpw3k1q9%2BYBk0PJ0xDWMJuWqm9sS6c4ExveIoVP3NGuE8GRYCC6MzCOmxCUphVsmQ6zsCtYgXhKKmXAowwYxjY%2BYkN%2FX%2BnbB2hNxQ7ZmWrSbiS9yPqvQBXCvq2i3wHKYynWYhrveaBm%2BT8rI%2FmQlmosNiQPCAx0cVFXi6XVcQ%2BfvDafVM87y1WT6IqxXduCJ9zrt6%2BnO8U%3D&X-Amz-Signature=0bd297c2a7c6c7f55a664bfd92093d62cee1e6f5927539bcff354c85a1dd5291&X-Amz-SignedHeaders=host&x-amz-checksum-mode=ENABLED&x-id=GetObject)
Figure 2.

Figure 3.

Figure 4.

Figure 5.

Figure 6.
![A structure–activity relationship of isatin derivatives [40].](https://sciendo-parsed.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/69970fb10883ce575fb68836/j_abm-2025-0035_fig_006.jpg?X-Amz-Algorithm=AWS4-HMAC-SHA256&X-Amz-Content-Sha256=UNSIGNED-PAYLOAD&X-Amz-Credential=ASIA6AP2G7AKBODIFHJH%2F20260220%2Feu-central-1%2Fs3%2Faws4_request&X-Amz-Date=20260220T202814Z&X-Amz-Expires=3600&X-Amz-Security-Token=IQoJb3JpZ2luX2VjENP%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2FwEaDGV1LWNlbnRyYWwtMSJIMEYCIQDdcJB0Vdr5f2YK9mj%2B4a35KIlevNaVFisM%2FLSPBBMbpAIhANweRjQPjRnIQU9iGct1jQPZVlYGL%2F%2BlnPXivXVVeCZdKsQFCJz%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2FwEQAhoMOTYzMTM0Mjg5OTQwIgymGe2EIqav2f4AbEYqmAWYaekdiUuA8tsGhBwI74jvu%2B6RgITIDZpZvwArR3i2fBz96hGUJxzprDeIIHzd9ynPZaVbUnnuyqYnpEBCXlXUXyVcJWw1E%2BU37esjhEvNE2qysPxJy%2B4WQYCq5BnBAP0RCUNOj0GWHoc10zZ99T4nbA4K79rA9YRK0uLZddWnDNVoF6qcaeptHCaW0nno%2Fx26DjuBZbL%2FSXFh9DhQmsJVSG6qUeVLg8Vsw6BFYEX%2Fh39HBxpOgrImtAosIuyCUFnINs%2BeMzRad37oYKmS%2FJGwKbqgGIAwvvP55dVJvn0CZ4LB2FRmL%2BygE0M95k08HRIweYOQ6W%2F573ekDbWH86KQtJbZyM33tu3Fr1BXbptSiAwXd%2FCJsGBUpdF2Q%2BR5X9i8vqW3dwthXaFQBMz4u0SuN%2Bo9NI2wxNZzbK%2FrXIYludV5Bc1q6qz9YJ2u2xQQk6Zfffmhno8Ph15qbuW%2BSrbkFG52IwcOgsk%2F%2F00HcgalaIbEHLpzOH2ici5iDfDxBpS%2BXCOIBzoO9CsmSMxkOgHjaXFySuhuwJrDrMfI1NlrjajtP2UREyFCiGxcIrCax8sNZZ5Cx2swAm8YCmTSZzu52fUeSvb%2F2C3uTA2S6amWVV47jI9b8DaWW4BH2It6IyIfVYHuTKPexC%2F%2FkGn7vUpUF6Baa1IOtPVnqsgZ9gfQAVb57Rc27qbwhLsdELhln2u9QgRvjO88%2FmVYjckMrViB9sPzeqX12qviX7xKsHWMWlxUswkK3fK5J2%2BCSsh1pb8AtvfSNgFEF58E1dkr54m8s1ix36FdjfVvQ3EG5iVU2DmxTLjNTxAYVj4VoU%2Bgb8kHz%2FB73VuzijVitYu2E8To2HzkZseEz6lL%2BCaSUOQgPOQ77M%2BhD5IdMIXT4swGOrABDNXOkXrP9N%2FmYSsRnSZ6gRxNQ0QX%2Fn2p%2FGpw3k1q9%2BYBk0PJ0xDWMJuWqm9sS6c4ExveIoVP3NGuE8GRYCC6MzCOmxCUphVsmQ6zsCtYgXhKKmXAowwYxjY%2BYkN%2FX%2BnbB2hNxQ7ZmWrSbiS9yPqvQBXCvq2i3wHKYynWYhrveaBm%2BT8rI%2FmQlmosNiQPCAx0cVFXi6XVcQ%2BfvDafVM87y1WT6IqxXduCJ9zrt6%2BnO8U%3D&X-Amz-Signature=6b7532b970016fbed536e33d0bf693a3226aed08658d069e482b25d15bf01536&X-Amz-SignedHeaders=host&x-amz-checksum-mode=ENABLED&x-id=GetObject)
Figure 7.

Figure 8.

Figure 9.

Figure 10.

Figure 11.

Figure 12.

Figure 13.
![Structure of pyrido[2,3-d]pyrimidine framework.](https://sciendo-parsed.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/69970fb10883ce575fb68836/j_abm-2025-0035_fig_013.jpg?X-Amz-Algorithm=AWS4-HMAC-SHA256&X-Amz-Content-Sha256=UNSIGNED-PAYLOAD&X-Amz-Credential=ASIA6AP2G7AKBODIFHJH%2F20260220%2Feu-central-1%2Fs3%2Faws4_request&X-Amz-Date=20260220T202814Z&X-Amz-Expires=3600&X-Amz-Security-Token=IQoJb3JpZ2luX2VjENP%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2FwEaDGV1LWNlbnRyYWwtMSJIMEYCIQDdcJB0Vdr5f2YK9mj%2B4a35KIlevNaVFisM%2FLSPBBMbpAIhANweRjQPjRnIQU9iGct1jQPZVlYGL%2F%2BlnPXivXVVeCZdKsQFCJz%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2FwEQAhoMOTYzMTM0Mjg5OTQwIgymGe2EIqav2f4AbEYqmAWYaekdiUuA8tsGhBwI74jvu%2B6RgITIDZpZvwArR3i2fBz96hGUJxzprDeIIHzd9ynPZaVbUnnuyqYnpEBCXlXUXyVcJWw1E%2BU37esjhEvNE2qysPxJy%2B4WQYCq5BnBAP0RCUNOj0GWHoc10zZ99T4nbA4K79rA9YRK0uLZddWnDNVoF6qcaeptHCaW0nno%2Fx26DjuBZbL%2FSXFh9DhQmsJVSG6qUeVLg8Vsw6BFYEX%2Fh39HBxpOgrImtAosIuyCUFnINs%2BeMzRad37oYKmS%2FJGwKbqgGIAwvvP55dVJvn0CZ4LB2FRmL%2BygE0M95k08HRIweYOQ6W%2F573ekDbWH86KQtJbZyM33tu3Fr1BXbptSiAwXd%2FCJsGBUpdF2Q%2BR5X9i8vqW3dwthXaFQBMz4u0SuN%2Bo9NI2wxNZzbK%2FrXIYludV5Bc1q6qz9YJ2u2xQQk6Zfffmhno8Ph15qbuW%2BSrbkFG52IwcOgsk%2F%2F00HcgalaIbEHLpzOH2ici5iDfDxBpS%2BXCOIBzoO9CsmSMxkOgHjaXFySuhuwJrDrMfI1NlrjajtP2UREyFCiGxcIrCax8sNZZ5Cx2swAm8YCmTSZzu52fUeSvb%2F2C3uTA2S6amWVV47jI9b8DaWW4BH2It6IyIfVYHuTKPexC%2F%2FkGn7vUpUF6Baa1IOtPVnqsgZ9gfQAVb57Rc27qbwhLsdELhln2u9QgRvjO88%2FmVYjckMrViB9sPzeqX12qviX7xKsHWMWlxUswkK3fK5J2%2BCSsh1pb8AtvfSNgFEF58E1dkr54m8s1ix36FdjfVvQ3EG5iVU2DmxTLjNTxAYVj4VoU%2Bgb8kHz%2FB73VuzijVitYu2E8To2HzkZseEz6lL%2BCaSUOQgPOQ77M%2BhD5IdMIXT4swGOrABDNXOkXrP9N%2FmYSsRnSZ6gRxNQ0QX%2Fn2p%2FGpw3k1q9%2BYBk0PJ0xDWMJuWqm9sS6c4ExveIoVP3NGuE8GRYCC6MzCOmxCUphVsmQ6zsCtYgXhKKmXAowwYxjY%2BYkN%2FX%2BnbB2hNxQ7ZmWrSbiS9yPqvQBXCvq2i3wHKYynWYhrveaBm%2BT8rI%2FmQlmosNiQPCAx0cVFXi6XVcQ%2BfvDafVM87y1WT6IqxXduCJ9zrt6%2BnO8U%3D&X-Amz-Signature=715495fef93a94a1e51d080fd25b578d41644b3b558a558fa73afb10326dc021&X-Amz-SignedHeaders=host&x-amz-checksum-mode=ENABLED&x-id=GetObject)
Figure 14.

Summary of anticancer agents
| Type of compound | Compound name/structure | Activity | IC50 | Type of cancer cell/mechanism of action) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| β -Lactams | N -Thiolated β -lactams | Anticancer | - | DNA |
| 4-Alkylidene β -lactams | Anticancer | - | Matrix metalloproteinases and leukocyte selections | |
| Isatins | Sunitinib | Anticancer | - | ATP binding sites of kinases |
| Toceranib | Anticancer and antitumor | - | Inhibitor of certain RTKs | |
| Amido/ureido-tethered isatin benzene sulfonamide hybrids | Anticancer | - | Block specific isoforms of carbonic anhydrase, particularly HCa IX and XII | |
| α, β-Unsaturated ketones generated from isatin | Anticancer | - | Reducing cell proliferation across several cancer cell lines | |
| Spirooxindole-derived morpholine-fused-1,2,3-triazoles | Anticancer | - | Antiproliferative effects against several cancer cell types | |
| Carbazoles | Ellipticine | Anticancer | - | Inhibiting DNA synthesis and inducing programmed cell death in malignant cells |
| Ceptium | Anticancer | - | Treatment of metastatic breast cancer since | |
| Alectinib | Anticancer | - | Target microtubules and inhibit tubulin assembly | |
| Anthramycins | Antitumor antibiotics | - | Selectively bind to DNA | |
| PBDs | Anticancer | 0.5–6.6 μM | HL-60, THP-1, U-937 and jurkat leukemia cell lines | |
| Anticancer | 1.1–1.7 μM | Skin (A431), lung (A549), prostate (PC-3) and colon (HT-29) | ||
| Anticancer | 2.2 μM | Potent cytotoxicity against A375 cells | ||
| Pyrido[2,3-d] pyrimidines | Anticancer | 0.02–0.86 μM | Cytotoxicity against HeLa, PANC1, MDA-MB-231, and A549 cell lines | |
| Anticancer | 1.6–29.7 μM | SK-BR-3, BT-474, MCF-7, A549, and MDA-MB-231 | ||
| Anticancer | 9.5–10.3 μM | Cytotoxicity against PC-3 cell lines | ||
| Anticancer | 0.3–9.6 μM | HCT-116, HepG-2, PC-3, and A549 | ||
| Anticancer | 6.2 and 19.6 μM | MCF-7 and HepG2 cell lines | ||
| Anticancer | 3.0 and 10.5 μM | T-47D and MDA-MB-436 |