[Review Article] Green Strategies for the Synthesis of Quinolone Derivatives

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Green chemistry is currently one of the most explored areas and has been a desire since the 1990s. Green chemistry research is focused on reducing the energy required to develop desirable products and reducing or even stopping the synthesis of hazardous by-products from minimizing any environmental or health impact. OBJECTIVE: Nalidixic acid has been synthesized and developed into derivatives known as quinolones. The alteration of the elementary structure exhibits fascinating pharmacological activities in numerous fields, e.g., anticancer, antimicrobial, diuretics, anti-inflammatory, and so on. METHODS: Nearly all structural modifications to the quinolone moiety are possible. Chemical alteration at locations N-1, C-(5-8) can result in molecules with various pharmacological, physiological, biochemical, and pharmacokinetic properties. The quinolone moiety can be synthesized by multiple methods, including microwave-assisted, solvent-free, photocatalyst, biocatalyst, ultra-sonication-mediated, catalyst-free methods, and green solvent reactions (water, ethanol, supercritical CO2, aq. H2O2, oxidation). RESULTS: Health and environmental risks are associated with synthetic chemicals, solvents, and catalysts. Scientists are now minimizing the use of solvents, chemicals, and catalysts by developing novel approaches. Quinolone derivatives introduced various new pharmacologically active compounds to the market through novel drug development. CONCLUSION: The main motive of this study is to summarise the recent advancements in green chemistry methods for establishing quinolone scaffolds from various scientific journals, online databases, and libraries, which will help scientists to develop non-toxic and eco-friendly techniques for the synthesis and development of novel drugs.