Quinones

Quinones represent a class of compounds that are widely distributed in nature. They are found in a wide variety of plants. They are also present in fungi, bacteria and in small amounts in animals. Quinones have a common basic structural pattern: an ortho or a para substituted dione conjugated either to an aromatic nucleus (benzoquinones) or to a condensed polycyclic aromatic system, such as Benzene quinones, Naphthalene quinones, Phenanthrenequinones and Anthraquinones. Quinones have potential biological activities for antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antibiotic, anti-microbial, and anti-cancer activities. Anthraquinone derivatives, an important subclass of quinones show a wide array of pharmacological activities including laxative, anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory, anti-arthritic, anti-fungal, anti-bacterial, antiviral, anti-platelet aggregation and neuroprotective activity.