This review highlights the broad range of science that has arisen from the synthesis of coumarin-linked and fused heterocycle derivatives.

Pest control is a main concern in agriculture. Indiscriminate application of synthetic pesticides has caused negative impacts leading to the rapid development of resistance in arthropod pests. Plant secondary metabolites have been proposed as a safer alternative to conventional pesticides. Monoterpenoids have reported bioactivities against important pests; however, due to their high volatility, low water solubility and chemical instability, the application of these compounds has been limited. Nanosystems represent a potential vehicle for the broad application of monoterpenoids. In this study, an 1,8-cineole nanoemulsion was prepared by the low energy method of phase inversion, characterization of droplet size distribution and polydispersity index (PDI) was carried out by dynamic light scattering and stability was evaluated by centrifugation and Turbiscan analysis. Fumigant bioactivity was evaluated against Tetranychus urticae, Rhopalosiphum maidis and Bemisia tabaci. A nanoemulsion with oil:surfactant:water ratio of 0.5:1:8.5 had a droplet size of 14.7 nm and PDI of 0.178. Formulation was stable after centrifugation and the Turbiscan analysis showed no particle migration and a delta backscattering of ±1%. Nanoemulsion exhibited around 50% more bioactivity as a fumigant on arthropods when compared to free monoterpenoid. These results suggest that nanoformulations can provide volatile compounds of protection against volatilization, improving their bioactivity.

Emerging infectious diseases have become a major global problem with public health and economic consequences. It is an urgent need to develop new anti-infective therapies. The natural diterpene carnosol exhibit a wide variety of interesting antibacterial and antiviral properties, and it is considered a theoretical inhibitor of COVID-19 M^pro. However, this compound is present in the family Lamiaceae in low quantities. To obtain carnosol in concentrations high enough to develop pharmacological studies, we evaluated the efficiency of a micropropagation protocol of Rosmarinus officinalis using a solid medium and a temporary immersion system (TIS), as well as the effect of 6-benzylaminopurine (6-BAP) and α-naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA) on the growth of shoots. Moreover, we developed and validated an analytical method to quantify carnosol using the H-point standard additions method in the high-performance liquid chromatography diode array detector (HPLC-DAD). After 30 days of culture, TIS produced the maximum number of shoots per explant (24.33 ± 1.15) on a liquid medium supplemented with 6-BAP at 5.0 mg L⁻¹. Next, we also evaluated the effect of immersion time and frequency for TIS. After 72 days of culture, the best results were obtained with an immersion cycle of 1 min every 12 h, yielding 170.33 ± 29.40 shoots. The quantification of carnosol on the samples was performed at a flow rate of 1.2 mL min⁻¹ using binary isocratic mobile phase system 60:40 (v/v) 10 mM formic acid (pH 3.0) (A) and acetonitrile (B) on a reverse-phase column. The content of carnosol in the in vitro cultures was around 8-fold higher than in the wild plant. The present study represents an efficient alternative method to obtain carnosol for its pre-clinical and clinical development.

The available scientific literature regarding tanshinones is very abundant, and after its review, it is noticeable that most of the articles focus on the properties of tanshinone I, cryptotanshinone, tanshinone IIA, sodium tanshinone IIA sulfonate and the dried root extract of Salvia miltiorrhiza (Tan- Shen). However, although these products have demonstrated important biological properties in both in vitro and in vivo models, their poor solubility and bioavailability have limited their clinical applications. For these reasons, many studies have focused on the search for new pharmaceutical formulations for tanshinones, as well as the synthesis of new derivatives that improve their biological properties. To provide new insights into the critical path ahead, we systemically reviewed the most recent advances (reported since 2015) on tanshinones in scientific databases (PubMed, Web of Science, Medline, Scopus, and Clinical Trials). With a broader perspective, we offer an update on the last five years of new research on these quinones, focusing on their synthesis, biological activity on noncommunicable diseases and drug delivery systems, to support future research on its clinical applications.

In the current study, chemical composition of cultivated Salvia canariensis L was determined. Carnosol was the main product isolated. We prepared more lipophilic derivatives from carnosol, and both isolated and semisynthetic abietane diterpenes were evaluated in vitro as inhibitors of squalene synthase. Among the compounds tested, carnosol was the most potent inhibitor (IC₅₀ = 17.6 μM). These results highlight the great potential of this species for the production of new ingredients in nutritional supplements for the treatment of hyperlipidemia.