Recent insight into the biological activities of synthetic xanthone derivatives

Xanthones are a class of oxygen containing heterocyclic compounds with a broad range of biological activities, and they have prominent significance in the field of medicinal chemistry. Xanthone is an attractive scaffold for the design and development of new drugs due to its promising biological activities, primarily as anticancer, antimalarial, antimicrobial, anti-HIV, anticonvulsant, anticholinesterase, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and as inhibitors of several enzymes like a-glycosidase, topoisomerase, protein kinase, aromatase, etc. In this review, we have compiled and discussed recent developments on the pharmacological profile of synthetic xanthone derivatives for different therapeutic targets. The review highlights the therapeutic significance of xanthones and offers support in the development of new xanthone derivatives as therapeutic agents. (C) 2016 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.