The Chemistry and Biology of Alkannin, Shikonin, and Related Naphthazarin Natural Products

Vassilios P Papageorgiou; Andreana N Assimopoulou; Elias A Couladouros; David Hepworth; K C Nicolaou

doi:10.1002/(SICI)1521-3773(19990201)38:3<270::AID-ANIE270>3.0.CO;2-0

The Chemistry and Biology of Alkannin, Shikonin, and Related Naphthazarin Natural Products

Angew Chem Int Ed Engl. 1999 Feb 1;38(3):270-301. doi: 10.1002/(SICI)1521-3773(19990201)38:3<270::AID-ANIE270>3.0.CO;2-0.

Authors

Vassilios P Papageorgiou¹, Andreana N Assimopoulou¹, Elias A Couladouros², David Hepworth³, K C Nicolaou³

Affiliations

¹ Organic Chemistry Laboratory, Chemical Engineering Department, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54006 Thessaloniki (Greece), Fax: (+30) 31-996252.
² Chemical Laboratories, Agricultural University of Athens, Iera Odos 75, 118.55 (Greece) (and) Organic and Bio-organic Laboratories, NCSR "DEMOKRITOS", 153.10 Ag. Paraskevi Attikis, POB 60228 (Greece).
³ Department of Chemistry and, The Skaggs Institute for Chemical Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, 10550 North Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, California 92037 (USA), Fax: (+1) 619-784-2469 (and) Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California, San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, California 92093 (USA).

PMID: 29711637
DOI: 10.1002/(SICI)1521-3773(19990201)38:3<270::AID-ANIE270>3.0.CO;2-0

Abstract

Wound healing properties of plant extracts that contain the naphthoquinone natural products alkannin (1) and shikonin (2) have been known for many centuries. More recently, the biological properties of 1, 2, and related derivatives have been demonstrated experimentally, and their production both by cell cultures and chemical synthesis has been studied extensively.

Keywords: Bioorganic chemistry; Natural products; Phytochemistry; Quinones; Wound healing.

Publication types

Review