Flavonoids: A Reservoir of Drugs from Nature.

Flavonoids are associated with many plants and dietary foods; their chemical study has always attracted the interest of chemists working in the area of natural products and synthetic chemistry. Research in phytochemistry has produced many useful drugs. The analogs of flavonoids exhibit anticancer, anti-tuberculosis, anti-diabetic, antiviral, antibacterial, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antiproliferative, anti-spermatogenic, and antipsychotic activities.

Synthesis of novel coumarin nucleus-based DPA drug-like molecular entity: In vitro DNA/Cu(II) binding, DNA cleavage and pro-oxidant mechanism for anticancer action.

Despite substantial research on cancer therapeutics, systemic toxicity and drug-resistance limits the clinical application of many drugs like cisplatin. Therefore, new chemotherapeutic strategies against different malignancies are needed. Targeted cancer therapy is a new paradigm for cancer therapeutics which targets pathways or chemical entities specific to cancer cells than normal ones.

Acetylcholinesterase and Cytotoxic Activity of Chemical Constituents of Clutia lanceolata Leaves and its Molecular Docking Study.

Phytochemical investigations of the ethanolic extract of leaves of Clutia lanceolata (Family: Euphorbiaceae) resulted in the isolation of four compounds viz. 3,4-dihydroxy-2-methylbenzoic acid (1), 2,2'-dihydroxy-1,1'-binaphthyl (2), 1,3,8-trihydroxy-6-methylanthracene-9,10-dione (3) and 5-hydroxy-1,7-bis(4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)hepta-1,4,6-trien-3-one (4). Although all the isolated compounds were known but this was the first report from this plant source.

Potent acetylcholinesterase inhibitors: Synthesis, biological assay and docking study of nitro acridone derivatives.

The reaction of o-halobenzoic acid with aniline derivatives and their subsequent cyclization reaction yielded the acridone derivatives. The series of nitro acridone derivatives were prepared by Ullmann condensation in presence of copper as catalyst and were characterized by FTIR, (1)H, (13)C NMR and mass spectra. The structure of 5-nitro-(2-phenyl amino) benzoic acid (4) was confirmed by X-ray crystallography and was found to crystallize in P21/c space group.

Structure elucidation and DNA binding specificity of natural compounds from Cassia siamea leaves: A biophysical approach.

A novel isoflavone, 5,6,7-trimethoxy-3-(3',4',5'-trimethoxyphenyl)-4H-chromen-4-one (1) along with a known pyranocoumarin, Seselin (2) have been isolated from the ethanolic extract of the leaves of Cassia siamea (Family: Fabaceae). Compound 1 has been reported for the first time from any natural source and has not been synthesized so far. Their structures were elucidated on the basis of chemical and physical evidences viz.

Two new phenolic compounds from Ficus rumphii and their antiproliferative activity.

Two new compounds 2 and 4, along with two known compounds 1 and 3, were isolated for the first time from 95% ethanolic extract of the leaves of Ficus rumphii. Their structures were elucidated on the basis of chemical and physical evidences (elemental analysis, UV, IR, (1)H NMR, (13)C NMR and mass spectra) and comparison with the literature compounds. Structural authentication of compound 4 was further validated by single-crystal X-ray analysis and DFT calculations.

Synthesis, characterization, DNA-binding studies and acetylcholinesterase inhibition activity of new 3-formyl chromone derivatives.

A series of new substituted 3-formyl chromone derivatives (4-6) were synthesized by one step reaction methodology by knoevenagel condensation, structurally similar to known bisintercalators. The new compounds were characterized by IR, (1)H NMR, (13)C NMR, MS and analytical data. The in vitro DNA binding profile of compounds (4-6) was carried out by absorption, fluorescence and viscosity measurements.

Synthesis, bioassay, crystal structure and ab initio studies of Erlenmeyer azlactones.

Several 4-arylidene-2-phenyl-5(4H)-azlactones have been synthesized via Erlenmeyer method. The synthesized compounds have been characterized on the basis of systematic spectral studies (IR, (1)H NMR, (13)C NMR, and MS). The compound (4Z)-4-(3,5-dimethoxybenzylidene)-2-phenyl-1,3-oxazol-5(4H)-one, C(18)H(15)NO(4), (5), crystallizes in the orthorhombic system, space group P2(1)2(1)2(1), with a=5.

7,7'-Dihy-droxy-4,4'-dimethyl-3,4-dihydro-2H,2'H-4,6'-bichromene-2,2'-dione.

The title compound, C(20)H(16)O(6), which contains one chiral centre, crystallizes as a racemate. The mean planes of the two coumarin units make a dihedral angle of 88.07 (2)°.