Overview of Spirooxindoline Scaffolds in Cancer Therapy

Spirooxindoline derivatives have emerged as promising scaffolds in cancer therapy due to their structural diversity and potent cytotoxic effects. This review summarizes progress in the structural design and biological assessment of spirooxindoline derivatives. Modifications at the oxindole and benzene rings markedly enhance potency and selectivity against key cancer cell lines such as HeLa, MCF-7, HepG2, and A549. Several derivatives, including spirooxindole-pyrrolidine hybrids, thiazolo-pyrrolidine-spirooxindolines, and dispirooxindolines, demonstrate superior activity compared with cisplatin and doxorubicin. Mechanistic studies reveal induction of apoptosis, inhibition of proliferation, and interactions with critical targets including EGFR, HER2, and p53. Emerging synthetic strategies, particularly multicomponent reactions and click chemistry, further expand the scope of these molecules. Collectively, current findings underscore their potential as anticancer agents and the importance of future in vivo and pharmacokinetic studies to advance clinical translation.