Multi-Target Hybrid Drugs: A Promising Approach for Treating Alzheimer's, Neurological Diseases, Diabetes, and Cancer Publisher



Lalani AR¹ ; Ebrahimbabaie F² ; Sojoudi M³ ; Pouyani NR⁴ ; Sharifabad MS⁵ ; Fakhari F⁴ ; Rezaei S⁶ Show Affiliations
Source: Journal of Chemical Health Risks Published:2025

Abstract

Multi-target drugs are a class of hybrid compounds that can act on multiple targets and diseases simultaneously. These drugs have the potential to treat a range of disorders including Alzheimer's disease, diabetes, and cancer. This review aims to assess the efficacy of acridine-and tacrine-based multi-target hybrid drugs for the treatment of various diseases. In December 2022, a systematic literature search was conducted using acridine, tacrine, multi-target agent, and multi-factorial diseases along with their synonyms. According to the findings, acridine-based conjugates exhibited anti-cancer and anti-diabetic properties by directly inhibiting α-Glucosidase and α-Amylase, and by binding to DNA, topoisomerases, histone deacetylase, and poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase. The results suggest that acridine-and tacrine-based hybrid complexes have the potential to serve as promising multi-target agents for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease, neurological disorders, diabetes, and cancer. Overall, these compounds offer a new approach to drug development by targeting multiple disease pathways with a single agent. In conclusion, the use of multi-target drugs could potentially lead to improved therapeutic outcomes with fewer side effects, making them a promising area of research for the treatment of complex diseases. Keywords for this review include acridine, tacrine, multi-factorial diseases, and multi-target drugs. © 2025, Islamic Azad University. All rights reserved.