Natural and Synthetic Coumarin Derivatives with Anti-Inflammatory / Antioxidant Activities

Several natural products with a coumarinic moiety have been reported to have multiple biological activities. It is to be expected that, in a similar way to isomeric flavonoids, coumarins might affect the formation and scavenging of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and influence processes involving free radical-mediated injury. Coumarin can reduce tissue edema and inflammation. Moreover coumarin and its 7-hydroxy-derivative inhibit prostaglandin biosynthesis, which involves fatty acid hydroperoxy intermediates. Natural products like esculetin, fraxetin, daphnetin and other related coumarin derivatives are recognised as inhibitors not only of the lipoxygenase and cycloxygenase enzymic systems, but also of the…