Synthesis and medicinal chemistry of tetronamides: Promising agrochemicals and antitumoral compounds

•The tetronamide core is present in compounds displaying varied bioactivities.•The reactivity of tetronamides allows their functionalization, providing chemical diversity.•This review covers syntheses and functionalization of the tetronamide core.•Structure-activity relationship of some tetronamides is discussed herein.•Tetronamides include the insecticide sivanto® and potent antitumoral compounds.