Plants of the genus Cordia (Boraginaceae family) are widely distributed in the tropical regions of America, Africa, and Asia. They are extensively used in folk medicine due to their rich medicinal properties. This review presents a comprehensive analysis of the isolation, structure, biogenesis, and biological properties of quinones from Cordia species reported from 1972 to 2023. Meroterpenoids were identified as the major quinones in most Cordia species and are reported as a chemotaxonomic markers of the Cordia. In addition to this property, quinones are reported to display a wider and broader spectrum of activities, are efficient scaffold in biological activity, compared to other classes of compounds reported in Cordia, hence our focus on the study of quinones reported from Cordia species. About 70 types of quinones have been isolated, while others have been identified by phytochemical screening or gas chromatography. Although the biosynthesis of quinones from Cordia species is not yet fully understood, previous reports suggest that they may be derived from geranyl pyrophosphate and an aromatic precursor unit, followed by oxidative cyclization of the allylic methyl group. Studies have demonstrated that quinones from this genus exhibit antifungal, larvicidal, antileishmanial, anti-inflammatory, antibiofilm, antimycobacterial, antioxidant, antimalarial, neuroinhibitory, and hemolytic activities. In addition, they have been shown to exhibit remarkable cytotoxic effects against several cancer cell lines which is likely related to their ability to inhibit electron transport as well as oxidative phosphorylation, and generate reactive oxygen species (ROS). Their biological activities indicate potential utility in the development of new drugs, especially as active components in drug-carrier systems, against a broad spectrum of pathogens and ailments.

Graphical Abstract

中文翻译：

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1972 年至 2023 年 Cordia 物种中的醌：分离、结构多样性和药理活性

紫草科Cordia属植物广泛分布于美洲、非洲和亚洲的热带地区。由于其丰富的药用特性，它们在民间医学中被广泛使用。本综述对 19​​72 年至 2023 年报道的Cordia物种中醌的分离、结构、生物发生和生物学特性进行了全面分析。Meroterpenoids 被确定为大多数Cordia物种中的主要醌类，并被报道为Cordia的化学分类学标记。除了这一特性之外，与Cordia中报道的其他类别的化合物相比，醌据报道显示出越来越广泛的活性，是生物活性的有效支架，因此我们重点研究Cordia物种中报道的醌。已分离出约 70 种醌，其他醌则通过植物化学筛选或气相色谱法进行鉴定。尽管尚未完全了解Cordia物种中醌的生物合成，但先前的报道表明它们可能源自香叶基焦磷酸和芳香族前体单元，然后进行烯丙基甲基的氧化环化。研究表明，该属的醌具有抗真菌、杀幼虫、抗利什曼原虫、抗炎、抗生物膜、抗分枝杆菌、抗氧化剂、抗疟、神经抑制和溶血活性。此外，它们已被证明对几种癌细胞系表现出显着的细胞毒性作用，这可能与它们抑制电子传递、氧化磷酸化和产生活性氧 (ROS) 的能力有关。它们的生物活性表明在新药开发中的潜在用途，特别是作为药物载体系统中的活性成分，对抗广泛的病原体和疾病。

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