title: Implication of coumarins towards central nervous system disorders.
abstract: Coumarins are widely distributed, plant-derived, 2H-1-benzopyran-2-one derivatives which have attracted intense interest in recent years as a result of their diverse and potent pharmacological properties. Particularly, their effects on the central nervous system (CNS) have been established. The present review discusses the most important pharmacological effects of natural and synthetic coumarins on the CNS, including their interactions with benzodiazepine receptors, their dopaminergic and serotonergic affinity, and their ability to inhibit cholinesterases and monoamine oxidases. The structure-activity relationships pertaining to these effects are also discussed. This review posits that natural or synthetic coumarins have the potential for development in the therapy of psychiatric and neurodegenerative disorders, including Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases, schizophrenia, anxiety, epilepsy, and depression.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacognosy with Medicinal Plant Unit, Medical University of Lublin, 1 Chodzki Str., 20-093 Lublin, Poland. Electronic address: kskalicka@pharmacognosy.org.
authors.forename: Krystyna
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Skalicka-Woźniak
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Gazi University, 06330 Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Ilkay Erdogan
authors.initials: IE
authors.lastname: Orhan
authors.affiliation: Natural Products Inc., Evanston, IL 60203, USA; Department of Pharmaceutics, College of Pharmacy, University of FL, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA.
authors.forename: Geoffrey A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Cordell
authors.affiliation: Applied Biotechnology Research Center, Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Seyed Mohammad
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Nabavi
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology and Pharmacodynamics, Medical University of Lublin, Poland.
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Budzyńska
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002490:Central Nervous System / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D002493:Central Nervous System Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy; D003374:Coumarins / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006801:Humans
chemical_list: D003374:Coumarins
keywords: Benzodiazepine receptors; Central nervous system; Cholinesterase inhibitors; Coumarins; Monoamine oxidase (MAO) inhibitors; γ-Aminobutyric acid (GABA)