Chromones: A Promising Ring System for New Anti‐inflammatory Drugs

The quest for safer anti‐inflammatory drugs is still the focus of several medicinal chemistry programs. Chromones (4H‐chromen‐4‐ones) are a group of naturally occurring compounds ubiquitous in plants, and the chromone core has proven to be a privileged scaffold in medicinal chemistry. Herein we provide an overview of the relevance of chromones as anti‐inflammatory agents, specifically as inhibitors of cyclooxygenase (COX), 5‐lipoxygenase (5‐LOX), interleukin‐5 (IL‐5), and nitric oxide (.NO) production. Numerous structure–activity relationships and mechanisms of action are discussed. This review is therefore intended to provide a foundation for the design and synthesis of novel chromone‐based compound libraries for further development into safer and more efficient anti‐inflammatory agents.