A comprehensive review on synthesis and anticancer evaluation of triazole chalcone hybrids

Cancer remains one of the leading causes of mortality worldwide, creating an ongoing need for new and potent therapeutic agents with enhanced safety and selectivity. Among various heterocyclic hybrids, triazole based chalcone derivatives have drawn attention due to their structural versatility and broad spectrum of biological activity. Chalcones are known to act as Michael acceptors, allowing them to interact with diverse cellular targets involved in cancer growth. In a similar vein, triazoles exhibit good metabolic stability, hydrogen bonding potential and favorable bioavailability, making them as key pharmacophores in drug discovery. This review provides an overview of synthesis, structural diversity and anticancer potential of triazole-chalcone hybrids reported in recent years. The literature included in this review was collected from Scopus, Google Scholar. The compounds have been systematically classified according to their structural frameworks, and their anticancer activities have been analyzed through detailed Structure Activity Relationship (SAR) studies. Mechanistic studies revealed that the reported moieties exert their anticancer action via induction of apoptosis, rupture of mitochondrial membrane, caspase activation and cell cycle arrest. Overall, due to their potency, structural tunability and decreased toxicity toward normal cells, chalcone-triazole hybrids serve promising scaffolds for anticancer treatment.