Lipoxygenases are widespread enzymes that catalyze oxidation of polyunsaturated fatty acids (linoleic, linolenic, and arachidonic acid) to produce hydroperoxides. Lipoxygenase reactions can be desirable, but also lipoxygenases can react in undesirable ways. Most of the products of lipoxygenase reactions are aromatic compounds that can affect food properties, especially during long-term storage. Lipoxygenase action on unsaturated fatty acids could result in off-flavor/off-odor development, causing food spoilage. In addition, lipoxygenases are present in the human body and play an important role in stimulation of inflammatory reactions. Inflammation is linked to many diseases, such as cancer, stroke, and cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases. This review summarized recent research on plant families and species that can inhibit lipoxygenase activity.

This review is a compilation of the green synthetic methods used in the synthesis of coumarin derivatives. Coumarins are a class of compounds with a pronounced wide range of biological activities, which have found their application in medicine, pharmacology, cosmetics and food industry. Their biological activity and potential application are highly dependent on their structure. Therefore, many researchers have been performing the synthesis of coumarin derivatives on a daily basis. High demands for their synthesis often result in an increased generation of different waste chemicals. In order to minimize the utilization and generation of toxic organic substances, green synthetic methods are applied in this manner. These methods are getting more attention in the last few decades. Green chemistry methods cover a wide range of methods, including the application of ultrasound and microwaves, ionic liquids and deep eutectic solvents, solvent-free synthesis, mechanosynthesis and multicomponent reactions. All typical condensation reactions for coumarin synthesis like Knoevenagel, Perkin, Kostanecki-Robinson, Pechmann and Reformansky reactions, have been successfully performed using these green synthetic methods. According to the authors mentioned in this review, not only these methods reduce the utilization and generation of toxic chemicals, but they can also enhance the reaction performance in terms of product yields, purity, energy consumption and post-synthetic procedures when compared to the conventional methods. Due to the significance of coumarins as biologically active systems and the recent demands of reducing toxic solvents, catalysts and energy consumption, this review provides a first full literature overview on the application of green synthetic methods in the coumarin synthesis. It covers a literature search over the period from 1995-2019. The importance of this work is its comprehensive literature survey on a specific class of heterocyclic compounds, and those researchers working on the coumarin synthesis can find very useful information on the green synthetic approaches to their synthesis. There are some reviews on the coumarin synthesis, but most of them cover only specific reactions on coumarin synthesis and none of them the whole range of green chemistry methods.

Lipoxygenases (LOXs) are a family of enzymes found in plants, mammals, and microorganisms. In animals and plants, the enzyme has the capability for the peroxidation of unsaturated fatty acids. Although LOXs participate in the plant defense system, the enzyme’s metabolites can have numerous negative effects on human health. Therefore, many types of research are searching for compounds that can inhibit LOXs. The best quantitative structure–activity relationship (QSAR) model was obtained using a Genetic Algorithm (GA). Molecular docking was performed with iGEMDOCK. The inhibition of lipoxygenase was in the range of 7.1 to 96.6%, and the inhibition of lipid peroxidation was 7.0–91.0%. Among the synthesized compounds, the strongest inhibitor of soybean LOX-3 (96.6%) was found to be 3-benzoyl-7-(benzyloxy)-2H-chromen-2-one. A lipid peroxidation inhibition of 91.0% was achieved with ethyl 7-methoxy-2-oxo-2H-chromene-3-carboxylate. The docking scores for the soybean LOX-3 and human 5-LOX also indicated that this compound has the best affinity for these LOX enzymes. The best multiple linear QSAR model contains the atom-centered fragment descriptors C-06, RDF035p, and HATS8p. QSAR and molecular docking studies elucidated the structural features important for the enhanced inhibitory activity of the most active compounds, such as the presence of the benzoyl ring at the 3-position of coumarin’s core. Compounds with benzoyl substituents are promising candidates as potent lipoxygenase inhibitors.

The aim was to study the inhibitory effects of coumarin derivatives on the plant pathogenic fungi, as well as beneficial bacteria and nematodes. The antifungal assay was performed on four cultures of phytopathogenic fungi by measuring the radial growth of the fungal colonies. Antibacterial activity was determined by the broth microdilution method performed on two beneficial soil organisms. Nematicidal activity was tested on two entomopathogenic nematodes. The quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) model was generated by genetic algorithm, and toxicity was estimated by T.E.S.T. software. The mode of inhibition of enzymes related to the antifungal activity is elucidated by molecular docking. Coumarin derivatives were most effective against Macrophomina phaseolina and Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, but were not harmful against beneficial nematodes and bacteria. A predictive QSAR model was obtained for the activity against M. phaseolina (R²_tr = 0.78; R²_ext = 0.67; Q²_loo = 0.67). A QSAR study showed that multiple electron-withdrawal groups, especially at position C-3, enhanced activities against M. phaseolina, while the hydrophobic benzoyl group at the pyrone ring, and –Br, –OH, –OCH₃, at the benzene ring, may increase inhibition of S. sclerotiourum. Tested compounds possibly act inhibitory against plant wall-degrading enzymes, proteinase K. Coumarin derivatives are the potentially active ingredient of environmentally friendly plant-protection products.

Deep eutectic solvents (DESs) are multipurpose media for polysaccharide treatment. Thus, the DESs are also used as a plasticizers in preparation of thermoplastic films from natural polymers. Since attempts are being made to reduce the production of p...

Dipeptidyl peptidase III (DPP III), a zinc-dependent exopeptidase, is a member of the metalloproteinase family M49 with distribution detected in almost all forms of life. Although the physiological role of human DPP III (hDPP III) is not yet fully elucidated, its involvement in pathophysiological processes such as mammalian pain modulation, blood pressure regulation, and cancer processes, underscores the need to find new hDPP III inhibitors. In this research, five series of structurally different coumarin derivatives were studied to provide a relationship between their inhibitory profile toward hDPP III combining an in vitro assay with an in silico molecular modeling study. The experimental results showed that 26 of the 40 tested compounds exhibited hDPP III inhibitory activity at a concentration of 10 µM. Compound 12 (3-benzoyl-7-hydroxy-2H-chromen-2-one) proved to be the most potent inhibitor with IC₅₀ value of 1.10 μM. QSAR modeling indicates that the presence of larger substituents with double and triple bonds and aromatic hydroxyl groups on coumarin derivatives increases their inhibitory activity. Docking predicts that 12 binds to the region of inter-domain cleft of hDPP III while binding mode analysis obtained by MD simulations revealed the importance of 7-OH group on the coumarin core as well as enzyme residues Ile315, Ser317, Glu329, Phe381, Pro387, and Ile390 for the mechanism of the binding pattern and compound 12 stabilization. The present investigation, for the first time, provides an insight into the inhibitory effect of coumarin derivatives on this human metalloproteinase.