Nan Ze-Dong, Shang Ying, Zhu Yi-Dong, Zhang Hui, Sun Ru-Ru, Tian Jing-Jing, Jiang Zhi-Bo, Ma Xiao-Li, Bai Changcai
School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, North Minzu University, Yinchuan, 750021, PR China; Ningxia Key Laboratory of Solar Chemical Conversion Technology, North Minzu University, Yinchuan, 750021, PR China; Key Laboratory for Chemical Engineering and Technology, State Ethnic Affairs Commission, North Minzu University, Yinchuan, 750021, PR China.
School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, North Minzu University, Yinchuan, 750021, PR China.
Phytochemistry. 2025 Jul;235:114480. doi: 10.1016/j.phytochem.2025.114480. Epub 2025 Mar 15.
Coumarins constitute one of the most substantial classes of secondary metabolites, characterised by a fundamental α-benzopyranone skeleton, which serves as an overarching nomenclature for o-hydroxycinnamyl lactone moieties. These chemical constituents are widely distributed in various plant species. Based on the nature and loci of their substituents, these compounds can be further classified into simple coumarins, furanocoumarins, pyranocoumarins, isocoumarins, biscoumarins and other coumarins. Contemporary pharmacological research has revealed that coumarins exhibit a spectrum of properties, including antibacterial, antioxidant, anticancer, anti-inflammatory and hypoglycaemic activities. Owing to their diverse of structures and pharmacological actions, coumarins are widely used in cuisine, cosmetics and pharmaceutical industries. An extensive body of scholarly literature has been produced in this domain, although a notable paucity in the compilation and updating of references has been identified since 2019. Herein, the chemical structures and pharmacological activities of coumarins reported for the first time between 2019 and 2024 were systematically summarised. In total, 220 scholarly articles involving 574 coumarins reported for the first time in plants were included in this review. In addition, the biosynthetic pathways of some common types of coumarins (simple coumarins, furanocoumarins, and pyranocoumarins) are also preliminarily summarised in this paper. Meticulously analyzing and synthesising the published literature will lay a solid foundation for further investigation and extensive utilisation of coumarin derivatives.
香豆素是次生代谢产物中最重要的类别之一，其特征是具有基本的α-苯并吡喃酮骨架，该骨架是邻羟基肉桂酸内酯部分的总体命名法。这些化学成分广泛分布于各种植物物种中。根据其取代基的性质和位置，这些化合物可进一步分为简单香豆素、呋喃香豆素、吡喃香豆素、异香豆素、双香豆素和其他香豆素。当代药理学研究表明，香豆素具有一系列特性，包括抗菌、抗氧化、抗癌、抗炎和降血糖活性。由于其结构和药理作用的多样性，香豆素广泛应用于烹饪、化妆品和制药行业。尽管自2019年以来已发现参考文献的汇编和更新明显不足，但该领域已产生了大量学术文献。在此，系统总结了2019年至2024年首次报道的香豆素的化学结构和药理活性。本综述共纳入220篇涉及首次在植物中报道的574种香豆素的学术文章。此外，本文还初步总结了一些常见类型香豆素（简单香豆素、呋喃香豆素和吡喃香豆素）的生物合成途径。对已发表文献进行细致分析和综合将为香豆素衍生物的进一步研究和广泛应用奠定坚实基础。
