Microwave-Assisted Preparation of Benzo[b]furans under Solventless Phase-Transfer Catalytic Conditions

R. C, Chand K, Santos MA, Keri RS. Benzofuran: an emerging scaffold for antimicrobial agents

The present article systematically gives a comprehensive review of current development of benzofuran-based compounds as antimicrobial agents and the perspectives that they hold for future research.

Synthesis and Reactions of Five-Membered Heterocycles Using Phase Transfer Catalyst (PTC) Techniques

Phase transfer catalysts (PTCs) have been widely used for the synthesis of organic compounds particularly in both liquid-liquid and solid-liquid heterogeneous reaction mixtures. They are known to accelerate reaction rates by facilitating formation of interphase transfer of species and making reactions between reagents in two immiscible phases possible. Application of PTC instead of traditional technologies for industrial processes of organic synthesis provides substantial benefits for the environment. On the basis of numerous reports it is evident that phase-transfer catalysis is the most efficient way for generation and reactions of many active intermediates. In this review we report various uses of PTC in syntheses and reactions of five-membered heterocycles compounds and their multifused rings.

Phenolic derivatives from soy flour ethanol extract are potent in vitro quinone reductase (QR) inducing agents

The fractionation of soy flour directed by a cellular bioassay for induction of phase 2 detoxification enzymes was used to identify quinone reductase (QR) inducing agents. A phospholipid-depleted, 80% methanol-partitioned isolate from a crude ethanol extract of soy flour was resolved using normal phase medium-pressure liquid chromatography (MPLC). Early eluting fractions were found to be the most potent QR inducing agents among the separated fractions. Fraction 2 was the most potent, doubling QR at <2 mug/mL. Further fractionation of this isolate led to the identification of several constituents. Fatty acids and sn-1 and sn-2 monoacylglycerols were identified, but were not highly potent QR inducers. Benzofuran-3-carbaldehyde, 4-hydroxybenzaldeyde, 4-ethoxybenzoic acid, 4-ethoxycinnamic acid, benzofuran-2-carboxylic ethyl ester, and ferulic acid ethyl ester (FAEE) were also identified as QR inducing constituents of this fraction. FAEE was the most potent of the identified constituents, doubling QR specific activity at 3.2 muM in the cellular bioassay.

A new structural alternative in benzo[b]furans for antimicrobial activity

Two series of 2-substituted and three new diacetyl benzofurans were synthesized through palladium-catalyzed reactions and their in vitro antimicrobial spectra were assessed. The compounds demonstrated mild to significant growth inhibition against antibiotic-susceptible standard and clinically isolated strains of Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria as well as human fungal pathogens. Ampicillin and kanamycin were used as references for antibacterial screening; nystatin and amphotericin B were used for antifungal screening. Varying substitution at the benzofuran moiety and subsequent antimicrobial screening identified the C-3-acetyl functionality as a new structural alternative for optimal antimicrobial property in the benzofuran class of compounds.