Chromene and its Importance: Chemistry and Biology

Chromene (benzopyrans) is one of the privileged scaffold molecules that are widely distributed in natural products and possesses a wide variety of pharmacological activities such as anticoagulant, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-spasmolytic, antitumor, antihepatotoxic, diuretic, estrogenic, antiviral, antifungal, antimicrobial, anthelminthic, anti-HIV, antitubercular, herbicidal, anticonvulsant and analgesic. Their low toxicity combined with their broad pharmacological properties has inspired researchers to obtain new chromenes and derivatives possessing considerable pharmacological action. The present review article attempts to summarize the natural source of chromene and its derivatives along with updated knowledge on its biological activities.