Synthesis and pharmacological activities of non-flavonoid chromones: a patent review (from 2005 to 2015).

IntroductionChromones are one of the major classes of naturally occurring compounds. Their chemistry has been widely explored and extensively reviewed. The following review intends to give a broad overview of the patented chromones. Particular attention has been given to their synthesis, uses and applications in last 10 years.Areas coveredThe authors provide an overview of the recent scientific reports describing the obtaining and study of new chromones. The review emphasizes the rationale behind natural sources, synthesis, biological activities and structure-activity relationships of the new chromone derivatives. The article is based on the literature published from 2005 to 2015 related to the development of this family of compounds. The patents presented in this review have been collected from multiple electronic databases including SciFinder, Espacenet and Mendeley.Expert opinionAlthough a great number of chromones have been published in bibliographic sources in the last years, there is little innovation in the synthetic methodologies. Some natural sources and isolation techniques were described. Different pharmacological applications have also been claimed. Two of the most studied applications have been the use of these compounds as therapeutic agents for cancer and skin diseases. Some safety requirements need to be developed in order to find new chemical entities as new drugs.