Coumarins and Related Compounds from the Medicinal Plants of Africa

Coumarins (1-benzopyran-2-one) are chemical compounds in the benzopyrone class of organic compounds found in many plants. Coumarins possess a variety of biological properties, including antimicrobial, antiviral, antiinflammatory, antidiabetic, antioxidant, and enzyme inhibitory activity. This chapter gives an overview of the isolation, structural features, and pharmacological actions of variety of coumarins produced by the African plants. The biosynthetic pathway of coumarins is also discussed in this chapter. We identify 117 coumarins in African plants, of which 48 are new. The pharmacological activities of 54 of these coumarins are reported and documented in this chapter.