The application of the Suzuki-Miyaura reaction in the synthesis of flavonoids, an important class of natural products, is reviewed. This reaction has not only been employed to provide access to flavonoid nuclei, but has also been applied to the synthesis of dimeric flavonoids and in the synthesis of libraries of flavonoid derivatives for biological activity studies. The classes of flavonoids that are discussed are the chalcones, flavones, isoflavones, neoflavones, biflavones and derivatives of flavonoids obtained by C-C bond formation via the Suzuki-Miyaura reaction.

The first total synthesis of the pyranoisoflavone kraussianone 1 (1) is described. The key steps involved the Suzuki-Miyaura reaction for the construction of the isoflavone core and the regioselective formation of the dimethylpyran scaffolds to the phloroglucinol (ring A) and resorcinol (ring B) moieties of kraussianone 1 (1). This route also provided access to the related isoflavones eriosemaone D (2) and genistein (3) via simple structural modifications.

Background Optimal adoption of the malaria transmission-blocking strategy is currently limited by lack of safe and efficacious drugs. This has sparked the exploration of different sources of drugs in search of transmission-blocking agents. While plant species have been extensively investigated in search of malaria chemotherapeutic agents, comparatively less effort has been channelled towards exploring them in search of transmission-blocking drugs. Artemisia afra (Asteraceae), a prominent feature of South African folk medicine, is used for the treatment of a number of diseases, including malaria. In search of transmission-blocking compounds aimed against Plasmodium parasites, the current study endeavoured to isolate and identify gametocytocidal compounds from A. afra . Methods A bioassay-guided isolation approach was adopted wherein a combination of solvent–solvent partitioning and gravity column chromatography was used. Collected fractions were continuously screened in vitro for their ability to inhibit the viability of primarily late-stage gametocytes of Plasmodium falciparum (NF54 strain), using a parasite lactate dehydrogenase assay. Chemical structures of isolated compounds were elucidated using UPLC-MS/MS and NMR data analysis. Results Two guaianolide sesquiterpene lactones, 1α,4α-dihydroxybishopsolicepolide and yomogiartemin, were isolated and shown to be active (IC 50 < 10 μg/ml; ~ 10 μM) against both gametocytes and intra-erythrocytic asexual P. falciparum parasites. Interestingly, 1α,4α-dihydroxybishopsolicepolide was significantly more potent against late-stage gametocytes than to early-stage gametocytes and intra-erythrocytic asexual P. falciparum parasites. Additionally, both isolated compounds were not overly cytotoxic against HepG2 cells in vitro. Conclusion This study provides the first instance of isolated compounds from A. afra against P. falciparum gametocytes as a starting point for further investigations on more plant species in search of transmission-blocking compounds. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12936-019-2694-1) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

This study reports the first total synthesis of the bioactive oxepinochromones 12-O-acetyleranthin (8) (angular isomer) and 12-Oacetylptaeroxylinol (9) (linear isomer). The antifungal activity of these compounds and their derivatives was determined against Candida albicans and Cryptococcus neoformans. Most compounds had good selectivity between the two fungi and showed moderate to good activity. 12-O-Acetyleranthin ( 8) had the highest activity against C. albicans, with an MIC value of 9.9 μM, while 12-O-acetylptaeroxylinol ( 9), the compound present in Ptaeroxylon obliquum, had the highest activity against C. neoformans, with an MIC value of 4.9 μM.

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