Current Organic Chemistry - Volume 16, Issue 5, 2012

(Poly)phenols1 are, in my opinion, the most investigated family of natural products. Research into their occurrence, their (bio)organic (hemi)syntheses, their physicochemical properties, their biological effects so as their industrial use are indeed highly documented in the literature. Accordingly, (poly)phenols represent nowadays a very relevant family of natural products whose peculiarity clearly relies on its close co Read More

As a young PhD I remember my first conscious contact with the multi-coloured anthocyanins a polyphenol subclass. It was downtown Paris at the Jardin des Plantes, the former Jardin du Roy. Its gardeners used to grow a lot of ornamental plants possessing a rich variety of flower colours. The scenery was so superb that I came to the decision to try to understand how plants generate all these fantastic colours. It was my first st Read More

Formal [3+3] cyclocondensation reactions of 1,3-bis(trimethylsilyloxy)-1,3-butadienes with functionalized and nonfunctionalized 1-alkyl- and 1-aryl-3-alkoxy-2-en-1-ones, 1,1-dichloro-3-buten-2-ones, 3-acyl-4,5-dihydrofurans and other related 1,3- dielectrophiles provide a convenient and regioselective approach to various highly substituted, functionalized phenols which are not readily available by other methods.

Oligomeric proanthocyanidins (OPAs) are components of a wide variety of plant-derived materials and foodstuffs and their well-known biological activities, especially with respect to their significance in human health, have generated a great deal of interest in the scientific community. This review summarizes synthetic approaches to OPAs.

Ellagitannins are a structurally and biologically diverse class of hydrolysable tannins. The structure typically consists of galloyl and hexahydroxydiphenoyl group(s), which are esterified to glucose. A number of biological and pharmacological activities have been reported in this class of natural products. The focus of this review is progress in strategies and methodologies for the total synthesis of ellagitannins. Th Read More

This review covers synthetic work carried out in the field of stilbene and oligostilbene chemistry. It includes a brief overview of the methods used for the synthesis of monomeric stilbenoids. The production of oligomeric species by means of enzymatic or microbial conversion is examined in detail. Biomimetic syntheses of stilbene oligomers are then scrutinised. Most of the work is based on the dimerisation of stilbenoid monomers Read More

This review covers recent advances in the synthetic labelling and biolabelling of dietary polyphenols over the last 10 years. During this period, the production of labelled flavans and their proanthocyanidin oligomers, isoflavones, lignans and stilbenes such as resveratrol, has received the most attention. Radiolabelled compounds are mostly used for tissue distribution and pharmacokinetic studies in animals. In parallel, methods Read More