Pterocarpan scaffold: A natural lead molecule with diverse pharmacological properties

Phytoalexins are substances produced by plants that act as potent inhibitors of pathogens. Pterocarpans are biologically active isoflavonoids most commonly found in the family Fabaceae that have the ability to act as phytoalexins. It is made up of a tetracyclic ring system possessing benzofuran-benzopyran. A very great number of pterocarpans have been isolated from natural sources and they are proved to have significant biological activities such as anti-microbial, anti-cancerous, anti-inflammatory and antimalarial activities. Recently, pterocarpans gained lot of attention because of the broad range of anticancer activities in various cancer cell lines such as breast, leukemia, cervical, lung, colon and melanoma. Interestingly, pterocarpans exhibited inhibitory potency against many enzymes such as PTP1B, Neuraminidase, and alpha-glycosidase. In addition, they were shown to have anti-estrogenic and antidiabetic activities. This review is a comprehensive inventory of the structures and sources of pterocarpans and it emphasizes on the biological evaluations of pterocarpans from various plant sources and their scope as a lead molecule.