Nutraceuticals have received tremendous interest in the treatment or
prevention of multiple diseases in modern times. Chromenes (Benzopyran),
phytochemicals that are polyphenolic secondary metabolites, are one of the privileged
scaffolds that occur in various natural products as essential structural components and
also have beneficial nutraceutical properties. Chromenes are more correctly referred to
as ‘nutraceuticals' due to their variety of pharmacological activities in the mammalian
body. A better understanding of their mechanisms and biological activities suggests
their ability as therapeutic agents and also for predicting and monitoring food quality
due to their significance in food organoleptic properties and human health. In this
chapter, the discussion will be on the diverse therapeutic actions of chromenes as well
as the probable mechanisms of action that are responsible for their therapeutic activity.
The origins of these chromenes, their extraction from these sources, and their use as
nutraceutical components in various food items will also be discussed. The
pharmacological relevance of chromenes, which may be added to staple foods to create
various nutraceutical products, will also be discussed. As shall be evident after reading
this chapter, chromenes as pharmacological agents have a wide range of targets. As a
result, medicinal chemistry and quantitative structure-activity relationships should be
used to focus on their specific biological action when developing new congeners of
chromenes to be used as drugs.
Keywords: Anti-cancer activity, Anti-microbial activity, Antioxidant activity, Anti-viral activity, Cardioprotective activity, Chromenes, Nutraceutical property, Pharmacological property, Polyphenols, Secondary metabolite.
