Recent patents involving sesquiterpene lactones with therapeutic application

Abstract

Sesquiterpene lactones are secondary metabolites mainly found in the Asteraceae family. These compounds are based on a fifteen carbon skeleton containing an α,β-unsaturated-γ-lactone moiety. Occasionally, a saturated γ-lactone or a closely related functionality can be found in place of a classical α,β-unsaturated-γ-lactone moiety. According to their carbocyclic skeletons,, they are classified into four major groups: germacranolides, eudesmanolides, guaianolides and pseudoguaianolides.This type of compounds has a wide range of biological activities, such as anti-inflammatory, antiparasitic, antiviral, cytotoxic, among others. The biological activity of sesquiterpene lactones can largely be attributed to the presence of the α-methylene-γ-lactone group in its chemical structure. Chemical transformations of sesquiterpene lactones have been a strategy for improving the activity as well as the bioavailability of this type of compounds. In this chapter, a summary of the patents onsesquiterpene lactones with therapeutic application published over the past ten years (2009-2019), are presented. Both natural and semisynthetic derivatives are considered, focusing on sesquiterpene lactones as candidates for the development of new drugs for the treatment of different disorders.