Targeting STAT3 in cancer inhibition

Signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) regulates many critical functions in human normal and malignant tissues, such as differentiation, proliferation, survival, angiogenesis and immune function. Constitutive activation of STAT3 is implicated in a wide range of human cancers. As such, STAT3 has been studied as a tumor therapeutic target. The last approach using small molecule STAT3 inhibitors has been the most examined so Heterocyles and Carbazole. Heterocyles are an essential class of molecules, assuming a role in many aspect of our life. Indeed heterocyclic nucleus is a common feature of several biomolecule and bioactive compounds including agrochemical products and drugs. In this review we focused on two important class of heterocyclic compounds: carbazoles and NHCs (N-heterocyclic carbenes) and there implications in cancer inhibitions. Carbazoles, prevalent as structural motifs in various synthetic materials and naturally occurring alkaloids, as is known, have many applications especially as promising bioactive compounds due to their biological properties, known since 1965. Furthermore NHCs are a class of stable carbenes that over the last few years have entered the field as “new” ligands for bioactive coordination compounds. It has been demonstrated that metal NHC complexes can be used to develop highly efficient metal based drugs with possible applications in the treatment of cancer or infectious diseases