Recent Advances in the Chemistry and Biology of Bakuchiol and its Derivatives: An Updated Review

Bakuchiol is a meroterpene natural product distributed in various plants. It possesses several biological activities particularly anticancer. A large number of analogs have been prepared by various researchers by targeting several positions such as phenolic –OH, ethenyl and isopropylidene groups present in the bakuchiol to develop potent therapeutic agents with improved pharmaceutical properties. The present review describes the isolation, organic synthetic schemes, chromatographic study, and biological activities of bakuchiol reported till date. Further, the review also provides an insight into the skin care effects of bakuchiol and structure-activity relationship studies of reported derivatives. Moreover, the biosynthetic pathway of bakuchiol has also been described. All the articles published on bakuchiol revealed that bakuchiol and its analogs possess a remarkable potential for the development of potent anticancer and several other therapeutic agents. The reported synthetic schemes can be utilized for the industrial production of bakuchiol. Finally, we believe that this review will provide important information to the researchers interested in the chemistry and biology of Bakuchiol.