Lawsone as synthon in the catalytic asymmetric reactions

Advancements in synthetic methodologies and biological applications of lawsone derivatives

2-Hydroxy-1,4-naphthoquinone, widely recognized as lawsone, is a natural dye obtained from the henna plant (Lawsonia inermis), known for its biological activity and diverse applications in biochemistry and analytical chemistry. As a versatile precursor, it plays a crucial role in synthesizing a wide range of structurally diverse and bioactive molecular scaffolds. This review highlights recent progress in the development of lawsone derivatives, emphasizing their extensive biological activities, such as anticancer, antimicrobial, antioxidant, antimalarial, and metabolic enzyme-targeting activities, as well as their structure-activity relationships. Remarkably, this is the first detailed exploration covering both the biological activities and chemical synthesis of significant lawsone derivatives from 2016 to the present.

One-Pot Multicomponent Synthesis of Fully Substituted 1,3-Thiazoles Appended with Naturally Occurring Lawsone

Lawsone is a popular bioactive natural product. 1,3-Thiazoles are also widely distributed in many natural products, FDA-approved drugs, and functional materials. We report herein the first synthesis of naturally occurring lawsone-linked fully substituted 1,3-thiazoles in a one-pot multicomponent reaction (MCR) of arylglyoxals, lawsone, and thiobenzamides in acetic acid at 90 °C, affording lawsone-1,3-thiazole hybrids in excellent yields in short reaction times. The advantages of the present method include facile, robust, and easy access to the medicinally relevant diverse array of fully substituted lawsone-1,3-thiazole hybrids, easy isolation of the product by filtration, thereby avoiding column-chromatographic purifications, short reaction time, and metal- and catalyst-free and gram-scale synthesis.

Silver-catalyzed cascade cyclization and functionalization of N-aryl-4-pentenamides: an efficient route to γ-lactam-substituted quinone derivatives

The synthesis of γ-lactam-substituted quinone derivatives through a Ag₂O-catalyzed cascade cyclization and functionalization of N-aryl-4-pentenamides has been developed. Related 2-oxazolidinone substituted quinone products can be also obtained with N-aryl allyl carbamates. The reactions proceed through an amidyl radical-initiated 5-exo-trig cyclization and followed radical addition to quinones. They provide an efficient route to various γ-lactam-substituted quinone derivatives with a wide range of substrate scope.

The synthesis of γ-lactam and related 2-oxazolidinone substituted quinone derivatives through a Ag₂O-catalyzed cascade cyclization and functionalization of N-ary-4-pentenamides and N-aryl allyl carbamates has been developed.