Mannich Bases: Centrality in Cytotoxic Drug Design

Mannich bases identified by Professor Carl Mannich have been the most extensively explored scaffolds for more than 100 years now. The versatile biological roles that they play have promoted their applications in many clinical conditions. The present review highlights the application of Mannich bases as cytotoxic agents, categorizing them into synthetic, semisynthetic, and prodrugs classes, and gives an exhaustive account of the work reported in the last two decades. The methods of synthesis of these cytotoxic agents, their anti-cancer potential in various cell lines, and promising leads for future drug development have also been discussed. Structure-activity relationships, along with the targets on which these cytotoxic Mannich bases act, have been included as well.