Preface

Chromene is a natural compound together with a synthetic scaffold that epitomizes a privileged structural motif rampant in many biologically active compounds.. This framework is present in more than 5000 compounds including natural products and synthetically designed structures. The contribution of nature to these molecules is quite enormous. It can be metamorphosed into several other forms such as flavones, flavonoids, flavans, flavonols, isoflavonoids, rotenoid isoflavones, anthocyanidins, coumarins, etc. Several studies proclaimed that chromenes/flavones/benzopyrans exhibit various biological activities such as excellent anticancer and antioxidant activites.

The antioxidant capacity of these molecules can be attributed to the presence of various functional groups and the detailed reason can be explained as follows. The ortho hydroxyl group attached to the phenyl ring at 2-carbon can interact with a free hydrogen radical and make an intermolecular hydrogen bond, thus scavenging the activity of the free radical. 2,3-Olefinic bond with 4-keto functional group delocalizes an electron resulting in a semiquinone radical. Tocopherol or ascorbic acid may interact synergistically and thus increase antioxidant activity. Chromenes can chelate oxidizing metal ions by preventing oxidation. Besides this, chromene fused with sugar moieties called chromene glycosides is also discussed.

Based on the high importance of the chromene scaffold, we will discuss its synthetic approaches with diversity-orientation. Chromene as a drug/drug-like/bioactive molecule will be the prime focus of the book, and is studied with relevance to several human health issues. Naturally present chromene glycosides and their applications with nutraceutical values will be discussed. The book will also shed light on corona virus with respect to chromenes.

The proposed book “The role of Chromenes in drug discovery and development” is an outstanding collection of contemporary research on chromenes as well as their versatile applications. This book will provide a comprehensive scientific advancement that has taken place in the field of organic and medicinal chemistry. This book will serve as a reference for professionals, students, scientists, research scholars, and academicians in drug discovery and development.