Calixarenes: recent progress in supramolecular chemistry for application in cancer therapy

Cancer is one of the leading causes of death worldwide, and the limited success of currently used anticancer drugs is a driving force for the search for new compounds with anticancer potential. Calixarenes make up a fascinating class of macrocycles that find a wide range of biological applications in supramolecular chemistry. Especially in recent years, the anticancer activity of various calixarene derivatives has been reported by many researchers. The aim of this review article is to find relatively simple, efficient, and synthetic methods for the preparation of macrocyclic compounds containing various pharmacophoric groups to produce new and effective anticancer materials in cancer research and to investigate the usability of calixarene-based supramolecular in cancer research.