ABSTRACT
The development of synthetic routes to naturally occurring isoflavonoids received considerable attention since their isolation and characterization in the early 1900s. The multitude of substitution possibilities on the 3-phenylchroman skeleton (A) of isoflavonoids naturally lends itself to vast structural and/or molecular diversification. Hitherto, hundreds of isoflavonoids have been isolated and therefore it constitutes the largest group of naturally occurring Oheterocycles found mainly in the subfamily Papilionoideae of the Leguminosae.
The renaissance of chromatographic and spectroscopic methods during the 1960s and their continued development until today paralleled the explosion of structural data and characterization of naturally occurring isoflavonoids. The development of improved disease models, high throughput screening and lead optimization through combinatorial chemistry, added a new dimension to the research around this class of compounds. Contemporary developments in the area of isoflavonoid chemistry has been thoroughly reviewed (Dewick, 1993; Donelly and Boland, 1995, 1998). Supporting chapters in this book will address the many interesting biological aspects of isoflavones from the Pueraria genus. The scope of this chapter will be focussed around the synthesis of naturally occurring isoflavones and analogs particularly of the Pueraria lobata (Kudzu) plant species.
