Synthesis of Chalcone Epoxides and Studies of their Antimicrobial Activities

Abstract

Flavonoid compounds constitute one of the major classes of naturally occurring products. These types of compounds show antimicrobial (antibacterial and antifungal) activities and are used widely as drugs for the treatments of different types of diseases. Chalcone epoxides and their derivatives have attracted considerable attention due to their significant biocidal, pharmaceutical and antioxidant activities. Chalcone and its derivatives are used as inhibitors angiogenesis. Chalcone and its epoxides have been used as antiterror or anticancer agents and to treat a number of conditions or disease states in which angiogenesis is a factor, including angiogenic skin disease such as psoriasis, acne, rosacea, warts, eczema, hemangiomas, lymph angiogenesis, among numerous others, as well as chronic inflammatory disease such as arthritis. They also control and reduce hypertension. In the light of these results, we have chosen eight chalcones and their corresponding chalcone epoxides. We synthesized them and studied their biological activities. They were 21-hydroxy-2,4,5-trimethoxychalcone epoxide; 2'-benzyloxy- 2,4,5-trimethoxychalcone epoxide; 4'-methyl-2-chlorochalcone epoxide; 4'­methyl-4-chlorochalcone epoxide; 2'-hydroxy-4-nitrochalcone epoxide; 2'­benzyloxy-4-rnethoxychaclone epoxide; 21 -hydroxy-3 ,4-methylenedioxy chalcone epoxide; 2' -benzyloxy-3 ,4-methylene-dioxychalcone epoxide. The above chalcone epoxides were synthesized from their corresponding chalcones using NaOH'tf2O2 as an oxidizing agent.