Azole-Flavonoid Hybrids as Emerging Anticancer Agents: A Bioactivity-Focused Review

Despite notable progress in drug discovery, cancer treatment remains hindered by limited therapeutic efficacy, poor target specificity, adverse effects, and the development of drug resistance. Molecular hybridization, which integrates two or more bioactive entities into a single molecule, has shown considerable potential to overcome these limitations. Since both azoles and flavonoids have demonstrated anticancer potential, extensive studies have been undertaken to combine the two entities and enhance the bioactivity of the resulting hybrids. In this context, numerous azole-flavonoid hybrids have been synthesized and investigated for their anticancer potential. This review provides an overview of the azole-flavonoid hybrids that are promising candidates for novel anticancer drug development, highlighting their superior antitumor potency compared to reference drugs, multitarget activity, tumor-selective cytotoxicity, efficacy against drug-resistant tumor cells, and structure-activity relationships. The review covers 250 hybrids, primarily triazole-chalcone hybrids but also triazole-flavone, flavanone, flavonol, and isoflavone hybrids, as well as other azole-flavonoid hybrids (imidazole-, pyrazole-, isoxazole-, and thiazole-flavonoid hybrids).