The Synthetic and Biological Aspects of Prenylation as the Versatile Tool for Estrogenic Activity Modulation

Isoflavone Derivatives as Potential Anticancer Agents: Synthesis and Bioactivity Studies

Isoflavones are phenolic natural compounds with a C6C3C6 framework. They possess a plethora of biological activities that are associated with putative benefits to human health. In particular, the cancer chemopreventive and chemotherapeutic potential of isoflavones has attracted the interest of researchers. Several isoflavone derivatives have been synthesised and probed for their anticancer activities. The isoflavone analogues are mainly synthesised by molecular hybridisation and other strategies that enable diversification through early or late-stage functionalisation of A-, B- and C-rings of the isoflavones. This has resulted in the discovery of isoflavone analogues with improved antiproliferative activities against several cancer cells and different mechanisms of action. In this review, the synthesis of isoflavone derivatives and their anticancer activity studies are discussed.

Regiospecific 7-O-prenylation of anthocyanins by a fungal prenyltransferase

Anthocyanins are a type of well-known natural flavonoids for their various beneficial health effects. However, prenylated anthocyanins are not discovered in nature although prenylation is believed to generally enhance the biological accessibility of flavonoids. In this article, we demonstrate the first example for prenylation of anthocyanins. A chemo-enzymatic approach was achieved for the synthesis of a series of 7-O-prenylated anthocyanins, using the fungal prenyltransferase CdpC3PT from Neosartorya fischeri.

Prenyl Praxis: A Method for Direct Photocatalytic Defluoroprenylation

The prenyl fragment is the quintessential constituent of terpenoid natural products, a diverse family which contains numerous members with diverse biological properties. In contrast, fluorinated and multifluorinated arenes make up an important class of anthropogenic molecules which are highly relevant to material, agricultural, and pharmaceutical industries. While allylation chemistry is well developed, effective prenylation strategies have been less forthcoming. Herein, we describe the photocatalytic defluoroprenylation, a powerful method that provides access to "hybrid molecules" that possess both the functionality of a prenyl group and fluorinated arenes. This approach involves direct prenyl group transfer under very mild conditions, displays excellent functional group tolerance, and includes relatively short reaction times (<4 h), which is the fastest photocatalytic C-F functionalization developed to date. Additionally, the strategy can be extended to include allyl and geranyl (10 carbon fragment) transfers. Another prominent finding is a reagent-dependent switch in regioselectivity of the major product from para to ortho C-F functionalization.