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The antitumor efficacy of Pleurotus eous aqueous extract (PEAE) was investigated both in vitro and in vivo. The MTT test was used to determine in vitro cytotoxicity against the Dalton's Lymphoma Ascites (DLA) cell line. PEAE's in vivo antitumor effect was compared to that of the conventional drug cyclophosphamide in a DLA-induced solid tumor model. After 24 h following DLA inoculation, experimental animals were given PEAE (500 and 1000 mg/kg bw) and cyclophosphamide (CTX, 25 mg/kg bw) orally for 30 days. PEAE was also subjected to preliminary phytochemical screening as part of the research. PEAE has a high total phenolic (9.63 GAE mg/g) and total flavonoid (3.81 CAE mg/g) content, according to phytochemical analyses. The phytochemical components of PEAE were identified by HPTLC analysis, which revealed three phenolic and one flavonoid compound peaks. PEAE exhibited antioxidant capacity, as per ABTS and FRAP assays. At 1000 μg/mL, anti-proliferative activity against the DLA cell line was moderately inhibited. PEAE reduced tumor burden in a dose-dependent way. At 500 and 1000 mg/mL PEAE treatment, there was a significant decrease in tumor volume (62.47 and 72.13%), tumor weight (53.32 and 73.72%), and improved longevity (30.89 and 58.14%). PEAE restored normal haematological and serum biochemical profiles in a dose-dependent manner, with a concurrent decrease in lipid peroxides and an increase in enzymic and non-enzymic antioxidants. Major chemical components of PEAE may be responsible for the anticancer effect, which was attributed to its enhancing endogenous mechanism, according to this study. The usefulness of PEAE as a possible naturally sourced therapeutic target for tumor prevention is emphasised.

Chalcones are a class of privileged scaffolds with high medicinal significance due to the presence of an α,β-unsaturated ketone functionality. Numerous functional modifications of chalcones have been reported, along with their pharmacological behavior. The present review aims to summarize the structures from natural sources, synthesis methods, biological characteristics against infectious and non-infectious diseases, and uses of chalcones over the past decade, and their structure–activity relationship studies are detailed in depth. This critical review provides guidelines for the future design and synthesis of various chalcones. In addition, this could be highly supportive for medicinal chemists to develop more promising candidates for various infectious and non-infectious diseases.