Neoflavonoids are a class of polyphenolic compounds.[1] While flavonoids (in the narrow sense) have the 2-phenylchromen-4-one backbone, neoflavonoids have the 4-phenylchromen backbone with no hydroxyl group substitution at position 2.
Neoflavonoids include 4-arylcoumarins (neoflavones), 4-arylchromanes, dalbergiones and dalbergiquinols.
Neoflavones[1] are derived from the 4-phenylcoumarin (or 4-aryl-coumarin) backbone (C15H12O2).[2] The first neoflavone isolated from natural sources was calophyllolide from Calophyllum inophyllum seeds (1951).[3] It is also found in the bark and timber of the plant Mesua thwaitesii, endemic to Sri Lanka.[4]
Neoflavenes possess the 4-phenylchromen backbone (C15H10O2). Dalbergichromene, extracted from the stem-bark and heartwood of Dalbergia sissoo, is an example of such compounds[5]
Coutareagenin (5-hydroxy-7-methoxy-4-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)-2H-benzo-1-pyran-2-on) found in Hintonia latiflora[6]
Garazd, M. M.; Garazd, Ya. L.; Khilya, V. P. (2003). "Neoflavones. 1. Natural Distribution and Spectral and Biological Properties". Chemistry of Natural Compounds. 39: 54–121. doi:10.1023/A:1024140915526.
Korec, R.; Heinz Sensch, K.; Zoukas, T. (2000). "Effects of the neoflavonoid coutareagenin, one of the antidiabetic active substances of Hintonia latiflora, on streptozotocin-induced diabetes mellitus in rats". Arzneimittel-Forschung. 50 (2): 122–8. PMID10719614.