article · Molecules
Plant-derived compounds such as carvacrol and its isomer thymol demonstrate wide-ranging biological properties, including antibacterial, antifungal, antimalarial, and anticancer activities. However, their clinical utility remains constrained by poor bioavailability. To address this limitation, medicinal scientists synthesise hybrid molecules that combine the active pharmacophores of carvacrol or thymol with other medicinal agents. This synthesis aims to enhance both therapeutic efficacy and bioavailability. A comprehensive evaluation of literature published between 2020 and 2024 examines these hybrid compounds specifically focused on anticancer and antibacterial applications. The assessment details their structure-activity relationships to understand how chemical modifications influence biological activity, alongside strategic approaches to guide the future design of more potent therapeutic candidates.
Cancer and bacterial infections represent severe global health threats, complicated by limited access to effective therapeutics. Plant-based extracts provide valuable foundations for new medicines, but natural limitations like poor absorption restrict their impact. Designing hybrid compounds offers a molecular engineering route to overcome these delivery barriers, potentially leading to more potent treatments for difficult-to-treat diseases.
This research informs early-stage drug discovery, providing medicinal chemists and pharmaceutical developers with molecular design principles. Because the findings derive from chemical synthesis, biological reviews, and structure-activity relationship evaluations, the work remains at an early discovery stage. It aids early laboratory programmes in identifying lead hybrid candidates for subsequent preclinical testing in anticancer and antibacterial pipelines.
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Cancer is ranked among lethal diseases globally, and the increasing number of cancer cases and deaths results from limited access to effective therapeutics. The use of plant-based medicine has been gaining interest from several researchers. Carvacrol and its isomeric compound, thymol, are plant-based extracts that possess several biological activities, such as antimalarial, anticancer, antifungal, and antibacterial. However, their efficacy is compromised by their poor bioavailability. Thus, medicinal scientists have explored the synthesis of hybrid compounds containing their pharmacophores to enhance their therapeutic efficacy and improve their bioavailability. Hence, this review is a comprehensive report on hybrid compounds containing carvacrol and its isomer, thymol, with potent anticancer and antibacterial agents reported between 2020 and 2024. Furthermore, their structural activity relationship (SAR) and recommended future strategies to further enhance their therapeutic effects will be discussed.
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DOI: 10.3390/molecules29102277
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