Trending Topics on Coumarin and Its Derivatives in 2020

Abstract

Coumarins are naturally occurring molecules with a versatile range of activities. Their structural and physicochemical characteristics make them a privileged scaffold in medicinal chemistry and chemical biology. Many research articles and reviews compile information on this important family of compounds. In this overview, the most recent research papers and reviews from 2020 are organized and analyzed, and a discussion on these data is included. Multiple electronic databases were scanned, including SciFinder, Mendeley, and PubMed, the latter being the main source of information. Particular attention was paid to the potential of coumarins as an important scaffold in drug design, as well as fluorescent probes for decaging of prodrugs, metal detection, and diagnostic purposes. Herein we do an analysis of the trending topics related to coumarin and its derivatives in the broad field of drug discovery.

Keywords: biological applications; coumarins; drug discovery; fluorescent probes.

Figure 1

Basic classification of coumarins: chemical structures of the three main classes.

Figure 2

Structures of coumarin derivatives as anticancer agents.

Figure 3

Structures of coumarin derivatives as antimicrobial agents.

Figure 4

Structures of coumarin derivatives as antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agents.

Figure 5

Structures of coumarin derivatives as adenosine ligands.

Figure 6

Structures of coumarin derivatives as enzymatic inhibitors.

Figure 7

Structures of coumarin derivatives as anti-neurodegenerative diseases agents.

Figure 8

Structures of coumarin derivatives as fluorescent probes.

Figure 8

Structures of coumarin derivatives as fluorescent probes.