Unlocking the Potential of Purine Analogues: A Review on Novel Anticancer Strategies

Cancer is one of the world’s most prevalent causes of death; there is a constant need to find novel treatment medications with increased efficacy and reduced adverse effects. Cancer is a complex group of diseases characterized by the uncontrolled growth and spread of abnormal cells. These abnormal cells can invade and destroy surrounding healthy tissues, impairing the normal function of organs. Cancer can develop in virtually any part of the body and may arise from various factors, including genetic mutations, environmental exposures, lifestyle factors and infections. Purines are nitrogen-containing compounds that serve essential roles in biology, particularly in the context of nucleic acids and energy metabolism. They are heterocyclic aromatic organic molecules consisting of a pyrimidine ring fused to an imidazole ring. The two main purine bases found in DNA and RNA are Adenine (A) and Guanine (G). Purine analogues are synthetic compounds that structurally resemble purine nucleotides and are potentially harmful to the growth and survival of tumours due to their ability to impair key cellular activities. By concentrating on these crucial biological processes, purine analogues have the ability to induce cell cycle arrest, apoptosis and eventually limit tumour formation as established by in vivo and in vitro tests. It talks about their potential as a broad-spectrum anticancer drug and highlights the methodical design strategies that were employed to boost their effectiveness. Purine analogues show promise as anticancer medications overall, but more research is needed to develop targeted cancer treatments.