Naturally occurring naphthalenes: chemistry, biosynthesis, structural elucidation, and biological activities

In the recent years, discovery, identification, and development of biologically active compounds have gained a lot of importance. Naphthalenes are a class of arenes, consisting of two ortho-fused benzene rings. Naphthalene derivatives displayed a wide range biological activities, such as antimicrobial, antioxidant, cytotoxic, anti-inflammatory, anti-protozoal, and anti-platelet aggregation. This review summarizes the research on the isolation, structural elucidation, biological activities, and biosynthesis of the naphthalene derivatives published over the last years. In the present review, 122 naphthalene derivatives isolated from plants, liverworts, fungi, and insects are discussed in term of their sources, physical and spectral data, and biological activities.