Dracaenone, a Novel Type of Homoisoflavone: Natural Source, Biological Activity and Chemical Synthesis

The discovery and synthesis of natural products, especially those possessing novel scaffolds, are crucial to the development of new drugs. Dracaenones are part of homoisoflavone natural products, owning a complex spiro-bridged polycyclic structure bearing benzylic quaternary carbon centers, and some of them reveal considerable biological activity. There have been continuous studies on these compounds due to the rare structure and important biological properties. However, a systematic summary and analysis for dracaenone is lacking. This review aims to generally summarize the natural source, synthetic strategies and biological activities of dracaenones, moreover, the limitations, challenges, and future prospects were discussed, wishing to provide references for the follow-up study of compounds with similar skeleton.