Mini-reviewA review of anti-infective and anti-inflammatory chalcones
Graphical abstract
This review covers recent reports of antimicrobial (antibacterial and antifungal), antileishmanial, antimalarial, antiviral as well as anti-inflammatory activities of (E)-chalcones.
Section snippets
Antibacterial properties
The antibacterial activity of chalcones is being increasingly documented. Many research groups either isolated and identified the structure of chalcones that possess antibacterial activity, or synthesized or modified natural chalcones. The bactericidal effects have been related to the ability of the α,β-unsaturated ketone to undergo a conjugated addition to a nucleophilic group like a thiol group in an essential protein.
Liquorice (root and rhizome of Glycyrrhiza spp.) is currently used in the
Antileishmanial properties
Leishmaniasis is a group of prevalent diseases caused by protozoan parasites belonging to the genus Leishmania. Recently, a series of synthetic and naturally occurring chalcone derivatives have been reported to be potential agents against Leishmania in a number of in vitro and in vivo assays. Though a large number of synthetic compounds have been tested, licochalcone A still remains one of the few naturally occurring chalcones under investigation. Various species of the protozoan parasite
Antimalarial properties
Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax are the two major human malaria parasites. P. falciparum is responsible for most deaths, and it has developed resistance to nearly all available drugs. No wonder that the antimalarial activity of chalcones has generated great interest. Many chalcones have been described for their high antimalarial activity, probably as a result of a Michael addition of nucleophilic species to the double bond of the enone [44], [45].
Licochalcone A 1A isolated from
Antifungal properties
Since dermatophytes are a group of fungi which characteristically infect the keratinized areas of the body and dermatomycoses are very difficult to eradicate, it is very interesting to note that chalcone derivatives showed activity against dermatophytes and not against other types of fungi. Lopez et al. [60] tested chalcones 61–64 against a panel of human opportunistic pathogenic fungi, using the agar dilution method. Regarding the influence of the substituents on ring A, an interesting
Antiviral properties
Antiviral properties of chalcones were discovered in studies on inhibition of plant viruses and human rhinoviruses. The variable antiviral activity of chalcones suggests that the activity of each chalcone depends on specific substitution patterns. A hydroxy and methoxy substituted chalcone derivatives were investigated by Onyilagha et al. [68], [69] for activity against tomato ringspot nepovirus (ToRSV) infectivity. Hydroxylation of ring B at 2′,3′,4′, and ring A at C-4-positions activates
Anti-inflammatory properties
The inhibition of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) and nitric oxide (NO) production has been proposed as a potential therapy for different inflammatory disorders. Large amounts of NO may lead to tissue damage. In inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, excessive NO production by activated macrophages has been observed. Therefore, it would be interesting to develop potent and selective inhibitors of NO for potential therapeutic use.
Herencia et al. [79], [80], [81], [82] tested a series of
Conclusions
Chalcone is a unique template that is associated with several biological activities. The radical quenching properties of the phenolic groups present in many chalcones have raised interest in using the compounds or chalcone rich plant extracts as drugs or food preservatives. The anti-infective and anti-inflammatory activities of a variety of chalcones have been presented in this review article. The literature is analysed to provide a meaningful overview of the structural requirements for
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