Molecules 2015, 20, 16852-16891; doi:10.3390/molecules200916852 OPEN ACCESS molecules ISSN 1420-3049 www.mdpi.com/journal/molecules Review Heterocyclic Anticancer Compounds: Recent Advances and the Paradigm Shift towards the Use of Nanomedicine’s Tool Box Pedro Martins 1, João Jesus 1, Sofia Santos 1, Luis R. Raposo 1, Catarina Roma-Rodrigues 1, Pedro Viana Baptista 1,* and Alexandra R. Fernandes 1,2,* 1 UCIBIO, Departamento de Ciências da Vida, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia da Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Campus de Caparica, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal; E-Mails:
[email protected] (P.M.);
[email protected] (J.J.);
[email protected] (S.S.);
[email protected] (L.R.R.);
[email protected] (C.R.-R.) 2 Centro de Química Estrutural, Complexo 1, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Av. Rovisco Pais, 1049-001 Lisboa, Portugal * Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed; E-Mails:
[email protected] (P.V.B.);
[email protected] (A.R.F.); Tel./Fax: +351-21-2894-8530 (P.V.B. & A.R.F.). Academic Editor: Richard A. Bunce Received: 19 June 2015 / Accepted: 9 September 2015 / Published: 16 September 2015 Abstract: The majority of heterocycle compounds and typically common heterocycle fragments present in most pharmaceuticals currently marketed, alongside with their intrinsic versatility and unique physicochemical properties, have poised them as true cornerstones of medicinal chemistry. Apart from the already marketed drugs, there are many other being investigated for their promising activity against several malignancies. In particular, anticancer research has been capitalizing on the intrinsic versatility and dynamic core scaffold of these compounds.