The role of coumarin scaffold in the chemical engineering of bioactive molecules: A narrative review

Coumarin and its derivatives are intriguing to researchers in both chemical and pharmaceutical fields because they have a unique benzopyrone scaffold and a lot of bioactive properties. This review delves into the significance of the coumarin scaffold in the design and engineering of bioactive molecules, offering insights into its chemical, biological, and pharmacological roles. Coumarins are praised for their many medical uses, such as their ability to fight cancer, reduce inflammation, kill microbes, stop blood clots, and act as an antioxidant. This is possible because they have a special chemical structure with α,β-unsaturated α-lactones and electron-rich aromatic rings. The flexibility of this scaffold is amazing; it can be changed chemically in many ways, which lets different derivatives with different biological activities be made. The historical significance of coumarins is underpinned by their natural occurrence in various plants and their pivotal role in therapeutic applications since the 19th century. Their synthetic versatility has led to advancements in drug development, particularly in creating anticoagulants, antivirals, and neuroprotective agents. In addition, coumarins have been shown to work well in cosmetic formulations, cardiovascular health, and diabetes treatments, showing that they can be used for many things. The efficient synthesis, purification, and functionalization of coumarins still face problems. This shows the need for new methods to get around problems like harsh reaction conditions and high costs. New computer techniques, such as 3D-QSAR and pharmacophore modeling, have made it easier and faster to study compounds that are built on a coumarin scaffold. These techniques have also made these compounds more therapeutically useful. This narrative review underscores the coumarin scaffold's prominence in medicinal chemistry and its future prospects as a platform for developing novel bioactive molecules. Coumarins are important for advancing science and health because they can change chemical forms easily and have a wide range of biological effects.