Advances in ionic liquids as future anti-cancer drugs

Abstract

Ionic liquids are a very important class of molecules being used in a wide range of applications. Recently, ionic liquids have been tested as anti-cancer agents and found interesting molecules to treat a variety of cancers. During the last few years, some papers appeared on the potential future use of ionic liquids as anti-cancer drugs. The present review describes the advances in ionic liquids as the future possible anti-cancer drugs. The efforts are made to discuss the different types of ionic liquids synthesized and screened as anti-cancer agents along with their interaction with cancer cells. Besides, the selectivity and specificities of the ionic liquids as anti-cancer agents have been discussed. The molecular structures responsible for ionic liquids activities were also highlighted. Finally, the future perspective of ionic liquids as anti-cancer drugs have been emphasized. This article may be useful to academicians, researchers, oncologists, and industrial persons to develop more advanced ionic liquids as future anti-cancer drugs.