Synthesis, Reactions and Pharmacological Applications of Chalcones and Their Derivatives- A Mini Review

The shortage of novel antifungal drugs, the emergence of new infectious diseases, the resurgence of several infections and the increased resistance of fungi to available chemotherapeutic agents are the essential issues in drug design and development, which prompted researchers to look for novel compounds that can combat multidrug-resistant organisms. Over the last two decades, chalcones have been proved to be attractive moieties in drug discovery. Chalcones are pharmacologically active compounds that are also described as 1,3-diphenylprop-2-en-1-one derivatives. They have found applications as anticancer, anti-diabetic, anti-HIV, antioxidants, antimalarial, anti-tubercular, antiviral, anti-inflammatory and antidiuretic agents. Some chalcones have been used as inhibitors of lipoxygenase, ꞵ-secretase (BACE1), and acetylcholinesterase (AChE). The synthesis, characterization, various reactions of numerous chalcones and their pharmacological applications have been discussed. This review was motivated by the diverse pharmacological applications of chalcones, their simplicity of synthesis, and the growing resistance of disease causative agents to the currently available chemotherapeutic agents.