A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF COUMARINS, ITS USE, BIOAVAILABILITY AND INTERACTION WITH PHARMACOLOGICAL ACTIVITIES

Abstract

Coumarins are one of the most important classes of heterocycles that occupies prime position in synthetic and pharmaceutical chemistry due to their diverse applications. The Tonka bean, which was first isolated in 1820, gave rise to the French word "coumarou," which gave rise to the name "coumarins".  All coumarins are members of the benzopyrone family, which is made up of benzene rings connected to pyrone rings. The benzopyrones can be subdivided into the benzo-alfa-pyrones to which the coumarins belong and the benzo-gama-pyrones. Since there aren't many studies on coumarin bioavailability, more research is required to examine the bioavailability of several coumarins that have previously shown strong biological activity. Many medicinal  plants are source of coumarin. Coumarins, found in a variety of plants from different biodiversity regions. We will try to enumerate the natural coumarin compounds here, along with their occurrence, abundance and potential for use as pharmacological treatments. The  biosynthesis of coumarin is related to the higher plants. However, it  was also found that several microorganisms such as  fungi and bacteria may produce coumarin compounds through specific metabolic routes. Natural coumarins shows a wide spectrum of  pharmacological activities including anti-inflammatory, anticancer, antioxident, antiviral and Alzheimer’s disease inhibition.