Over the past decade, a number of new 1,4-naphthoquinones have been isolated from natural sources and new 1,4-naphthoquinones with diverse structural features have been synthesized. Cardioprotective, anti-ischemic, hepatoprotective, neuroprotective and some other new properties were found for these compounds; their role in protecting against neurodegenerative diseases has been established. Their anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial and antitumor activities have been studied in more detail; new, previously unknown intracellular molecular targets and mechanisms of action have been discovered. Some compounds of this class are already being used as a medicinal drugs and some substances can be used as biochemical tools and probes for non-invasive detection of pathological areas in cells and tissues in myocardial infarction and neurodegenerative diseases using modern molecular imaging techniques.
Keywords: 1,4-naphthoquinone; biological property; chemical structure; molecular target.