Recent Developments in Coumarin Derivatives as Neuroprotective Agents

Background: Neurodegenerative diseases are among the diseases that cause the foremost burden on the health system of the world. The diseases are multifaceted and difficult to treat because of their complex pathophysiology, which includes protein aggregation, neurotransmitter breakdown, metal dysregulation, oxidative stress, neuroinflammation, excitotoxicity, etc. None of the currently available therapies has been found to be significant in producing desired responses without any major side effects; besides, they only give symptomatic relief otherwise indicated off-episode relief. Targeting various pathways, namely choline esterase, monoamine oxidase B, cannabinoid system, metal chelation, β-secretase, oxidative stress, etc., may lead to neurodegeneration. By substituting various functional moieties over the coumarin nucleus, researchers are trying to produce safer and more effective neuroprotective agents. Objectives: This study aimed to review the current literature to produce compounds with lower side effects using coumarin as a pharmacophore. Methods: In this review, we have attempted to compile various synthetic strategies that have been used to produce coumarin and various substitutional strategies used to produce neuroprotective agents from the coumarin pharmacophore. Moreover, structure-activity relationships of substituting coumarin scaffold at various positions, which could be instrumental in designing new compounds, were also discussed. Results: The literature review suggested that coumarins and their derivatives can act as neuroprotective agents following various mechanisms. Conclusion: Various studies have demonstrated the neuroprotective activity of coumarin due to an oxaheterocyclic loop, which allows binding with a broad array of proteins, thus motivating researchers to explore its potential as a lead against various neurodegenerative diseases.