Possible anticancer activity of a synthetic nitro flavone derivative 2 4 nitrophenyl 4h chromen 4 one

Abstract

Flavonoids are a group of low molecular weight polyphenolic compounds synthesized in plants as secondary metabolites for their protection against UV radiation, attacks from fungi and insects. They exhibit several biochemical and pharmacological effects; hence these classes of molecules have attracted interest of researchers for the study of their biological activities. Flavonoids are classified mainly depending on the level of oxidation and pattern of substitution in the C ring, while individual compounds within a class differ in the pattern of substitution of the A and B rings. Among them, the flavone moiety forms an important backbone. These low molecular weight compounds have several health promoting effects and possess significant biological effects that include antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial and antifungal properties. Importantly, some flavones are also known to be effective in therapy of different cancers. Besides the natural derivatives of flavones, significant modifications of the flavone ring have yielded several synthetic flavone derivatives that have shown improved anticancer properties than their natural counterparts. newline