Several nitrogen heterocyclic analogues have been applied to clinical practice, and about 75% of drugs approved by the FDA contain at least a heterocyclic moiety. Thus, nitrogen heterocycles are beneficial scaffolds that occupy a central position in the development of new drugs. The fact that certain nitrogen heterocyclic compounds significantly activate the NRF2/ARE signaling pathway and upregulate the expression of NRF2-dependent genes, especially HO-1 and NQO1, underscores the need to study the roles and pharmacological effects of N-based heterocyclic moieties in NRF2 activation. Furthermore, nitrogen heterocycles exhibit significant antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities. NRF2-activating molecules have been of tremendous research interest in recent times due to their therapeutic roles in neuroinflammation and oxidative stress-mediated diseases. A comprehensive review of the NRF2-inducing activities of N-based heterocycles and their derivatives will broaden their therapeutic prospects in a wide range of diseases. Thus, the present review, as the first of its kind, provides an overview of the roles and effects of nitrogen heterocyclic moieties in the activation of the NRF2 signaling pathway underpinning their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory actions in several diseases, their pharmacological properties and structural–activity relationship are also discussed with the aim of making new discoveries that will stimulate innovative research in this area.

The inhibiting effect of Spondias mombin (SM) leaves extract on the corrosion of AA2024 and mild steel in 0.5 M NaCl environment was investigated using electrochemical techniques. Tafel plots obtained from the potentiodynamic polarization (PDP) experiments indicate that for both metals, the curves shifted toward more negative values of the corrosion current density (Icorr) as the inhibitor concentration increased. More so, for all concentrations of the inhibitor, the values of maximum displacement shift in corrosion potential (Ecorr) were found to be less than 85 mV. This shows that SM behaves like a mixed-type corrosion inhibitor. The electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) study shows that for both metals, the charge transfer resistance (Rct) values increased with an increase in concentration of the inhibitor. The increase in values of Rct can be attributed to the formation of protective film at the metal-solution interface. The Nyquist plots show semi circles whose diameter increased as the inhibitor concentration is increased and this is suggestive of retardation in corrosion process. The inhibition efficiency values obtained in the EIS experiment were found to be in close conformity with those of the PDP experiment.