In our investigation, we concentrated on naringenin (NG)—a widely studied flavanone that occurs in citrus fruits. As a result of a reaction with a range of alkyl iodides, 7 novel O-alkyl derivatives of naringenin (7a–11a, 13a, 17a) were obtained. Another chemical modification led to 9 oximes of O-alkyl naringenin derivatives (7b–13b, 16b–17b) that were never described before. The obtained compounds were evaluated for their potential antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and Bacillus subtilis. The results were reported as the standard minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) values and compared with naringenin and its known O-alkyl derivatives. Compounds 4a, 10a, 12a, 14a, 4b, 10b, 11b, and 14b were described with MIC of 25 µg/mL or lower. The strongest bacteriostatic activity was observed for 7-O-butylnaringenin (12a) against S. aureus (MIC = 6.25 µg/mL). Moreover, the antitumor effect of flavonoids was examined on human colon cancer cell line HT-29. Twenty-six compounds were characterized as possessing an antiproliferative activity stronger than that of naringenin. The replacement of the carbonyl group with an oxime moiety significantly increased the anticancer properties. The IC₅₀ values below 5 µg/mL were demonstrated for four oxime derivatives (8b, 11b, 13b and 16b).

O-Alkyl derivatives of naringenin (1a–10a) were prepared from naringenin using the corresponding alkyl iodides and anhydrous potassium carbonate. The resulting products were used to obtain oximes (1b–10b). All compounds were tested for antimicrobial activity against Escherichia coli ATCC10536, Staphylococcus aureus DSM799, Candida albicans DSM1386, Alternaria alternata CBS1526, Fusarium linii KB-F1, and Aspergillus niger DSM1957. The resulting biological activity was expressed as the increase in optical density (ΔOD). The highest inhibitory effect against E. coli ATCC10536 was observed for 7,4′-di-O-pentylnaringenin (8a), 7-O-dodecylnaringenin (9a), naringenin oxime (NG-OX), 7,4′-di-O-pentylnaringenin oxime (8b), and 7-O-dodecylnaringenin oxime (9b) (ΔOD = 0). 7-O-dodecylnaringenin oxime (9b) also inhibited the growth of S. aureus DSM799 (ΔOD = 0.35) and C. albicans DSM1386 (ΔOD = 0.22). The growth of A. alternata CBS1526 was inhibited as a result of the action of 7,4′-di-O-methylnaringenin (2a), 7-O-ethylnaringenin (4a), 7,4′-di-O-ethylnaringenin (5a), 5,7,4′-tri-O-ethylnaringenin (6a), 7,4′-di-O-pentylnaringenin (8a), and 7-O-dodecylnaringenin (9a) (ΔOD in the range of 0.49–0.42) in comparison to that of the control culture (ΔOD = 1.87). In the case of F. linii KB-F1, naringenin (NG), 7,4′-di-O-dodecylnaringenin (10a), 7-O-dodecylnaringenin oxime (9b), and 7,4′-di-O-dodecylnaringenin oxime (10b) showed the strongest effect (ΔOD = 0). 7,4′-Di-O-pentylnaringenin (8a) and naringenin oxime (NG-OX) hindered the growth of A. niger DSM1957 (ΔOD = 0).

New antimicrobial agents are needed to address infections caused by multidrug-resistant bacteria. Here, we are reporting novel O-alkyl derivatives of naringenin and their oximes, including novel compounds with a naringenin core and O-hexyl chains, showing activity against clinical strains of clarithromycin-resistant Helicobacter pylori, vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecalis, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, and beta-lactam-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii and Klebsiella pneumoniae. The minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs), which provide a quantitative measure of antimicrobial activity, were in the low microgram range for the selected compounds. Checkerboard assays for the most active compounds in combination with antibiotics revealed interactions that varied from synergistic to neutral.

A series of 18 aminochalcone derivatives were obtained in yields of 21.5–88.6% by applying the classical Claisen-Schmidt reaction. Compounds 4–9, 14 and 16–18 with 4-ethyl, 4-carboxy-, 4-benzyloxy- and 4-benzyloxy-3-methoxy groups were novel, not previously described in the scientific literature. To determine the biological properties of the synthesized compounds, anticancer and antimicrobial activity assays were performed. Antiproliferative potential was evaluated on four different human colon cancer cell lines—HT-29, LS180, LoVo and LoVo/DX —using the SRB assay and compared with green monkey kidney fibroblasts COS7. Anticancer activity was described as the IC₅₀ value. The best results were observed for 2′-aminochalcone (1), 3′-aminochalcone (2) and 4′-aminochalcone (3) (IC₅₀ = 1.43–1.98 µg·mL⁻¹) against the HT-29 cell line and for amino-nitrochalcones 10–12 (IC₅₀ = 2.77–3.42 µg·mL⁻¹) against the LoVo and LoVo/DX cell lines. Moreover, the antimicrobial activity of all derivatives was evaluated on two strains of bacteria: Escherichia coli ATCC10536 and Staphylococcus aureus DSM799, the yeast strain Candida albicans DSM1386 and three strains of fungi: Alternaria alternata CBS1526, Fusarium linii KB-F1 and Aspergillus niger DSM1957. In the case of E. coli ATCC10536 almost all derivatives hindered the bacterial growth (∆OD = 0). Furthermore, the best results were observed in the presence of 4′-aminochalcone (3), that completely limited the growth of all tested strains at the concentration range of 0.25–0.5 mg·mL⁻¹. The strongest bacteriostatic activity was exhibited by novel 3′-amino-4-benzyloxychalcone (14), that prevented the growth of E. coli ATCC10536 with MIC = 0.0625 mg·mL⁻¹.

Substances that alter insect behavior have attracted a lot of attention as potential crop protection agents. Naringenin (5,7,4′-trihydroxyflavanone) is a naturally occurring bioactive flavanone. We evaluated the influence of naringenin on aphid activities during individual phases of probing and feeding and the effect of structural modifications of naringenin on its activity towards aphids. We monitored the probing behavior of Myzus persicae (Sulz.) (Hemiptera: Aphididae) using the Electrical Penetration Graph (EPG) technique. The chemical modifications were the substitution of hydrogen atoms with methyl, ethyl or pentyl groups and the replacement of the carbonyl group in naringenin and its derivatives with an oxime moiety. Depending on the substituents, the activity of naringenin-derived compounds varied in potency and mode of action. Naringenin was an attractant of moderate activity, which enhanced sap ingestion. The naringenin derivative with two methyl groups—7,4′-di-O-methylnaringenin—was a deterrent, which hindered aphid probing in non-phloem tissues. Naringenin oxime derivatives with methyl substituents—7,4′-di-O-methylnaringenin oxime, 7-O-methylnaringenin oxime, and 5,7,4′-tri-O-methylnaringenin oxime—and the derivative with a pentyl substituent—7-O-pentylnaringenin oxime—were strong attractants which stimulated aphid probing in non-phloem tissues and the ingestion of phloem sap.

The antioxidant activity of beers comes mainly from phenolic compounds and melanoidins. The aim of this research was to evaluate the effect of technological operations, especially the ethanol fermentation process using top fermentation brewer’s yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, on the antioxidant activity of dark dry hopped beers with a high xanthohumol content. Four beers were produced using different varieties of hops. The polyphenol content during beer processing increased at the stage of hopping and fermentation, while it decreased during aging. The ability to reduce iron ions increased for all beers compared to hopped wort. The opposite tendency was noted for the antioxidant capacity expressed as the ability to reduce the radical cation ABTS^•+ generated from 2,2′-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulfonic acid). Fermentation and aging caused a decrease in beer color intensity. The content of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (5-HMF) increased with the color intensity of wort, therefore in beers no presence of 5-HMF was observed. The beers were characterized by a distinctly high content of xanthohumol in the range of 1.77–3.83 mg/L and 0.85–1.19 mg/L of isoxanthohumol. The content of prenylflavonoids and bitterness of beer depended on the variety of hops used.