A patent review of the therapeutic potential of isoflavones (2012-2016)

Introduction: Isoflavones are well-studied natural products isolated from natural sources with interesting chemodiversity and possess a wide variety of biological effects. Moreover, chemical modifications based on the isoflavone scaffold, has generated synthetic chemodiversity to enhance the bioactivities of isoflavones.

Areas covered: The current review summarizes the discovery of new chemotherapeutic agents possessing the isoflavone skeleton. This review incorporates patents filed between 2012 and 2016 mostly related to anticancer, antidiabetic, antimicrobial, anti-HIV, anti-gastric ulcer, anti-gastritis, antiparasitic and some other biological effects demonstrated by isoflavone analogs.

Expert opinion: The number of interesting patents published during the five year period (2012–2016) on the therapeutic potential of isoflavones indicated the importance of this molecule. Natural isoflavones possess potent anticancer, anti-HIV and antidiabetic activities and chemical analogs of natural isoflavones increase the abovementioned biological effects. Additionally isoflavones have only been tested for a limited number of biological activities and thus future research should focus on additional biological activities viz., anti-inflammatory, antimalarial, and anti-leishmanial effects. However, the absence of SAR studies and in vivo data restricted the rational design of more potent isoflavone analogs and we believe that in order to get lead compounds, there needs to be a greater focus on SAR and in vivo studies.