Orthoquinone, Cyclic, and Acyclic α‐Diketone Natural Products: From Food Applications to Pharmacotherapy

Hussain, H, Wang, D, Sarker, SD ORCID: 0000-0003-4038-0514, Nahar, L, Mamadalieva, NZ and Xiao, J (2026) Orthoquinone, Cyclic, and Acyclic α‐Diketone Natural Products: From Food Applications to Pharmacotherapy. Phytochemicals in Food and Medicine, 1 (1). ISSN 3068-7306

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Abstract

The structural diversity of natural products is vast and fascinating, and they have been recognized as an enormously diverse source of new lead compounds. Many bioactive secondary metabolites have a 1,2‐carbonyl pharmacophore in which the orthoquinone moieties are normally associated with interacting with and molecularly recognizing the cellular target. For therapeutic effects, especially antimicrobial effects, the presence of orthoquinone entities is crucial and in some cases necessary. This review will describe orthoquinone natural products and their use in the food packaging industry along with their other therapeutic properties. Natural products are considered one of the most important sources of approved drugs with diverse mechanisms of action. The orthoquinone moiety enhances bioavailability, biological potential, and stability in many pharmacologically active natural products. The vast majority of the orthoquinone metabolites were found to have antimicrobial, antioxidant, antiviral, cytotoxic, and anti‐inflammatory effects. In particular, significant antimicrobial potential towards various microorganisms, especially foodborne pathogens and plant pathogens, is demonstrated by numerous orthoquinones presented in this review. Their antimicrobial effects suggest that they could be used as natural food preserving agents to eliminate or control growth of pathogens and spoilage organisms.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	30 Agricultural, Veterinary and Food Sciences; 4102 Ecological Applications; 41 Environmental Sciences; 3006 Food Sciences; Natural Products; Complementary and Integrative Health
Subjects:	R Medicine > RM Therapeutics. Pharmacology R Medicine > RS Pharmacy and materia medica
Divisions:	Pharmacy and Biomolecular Sciences
Publisher:	Wiley
Date of acceptance:	7 April 2026
Date of first compliant Open Access:	2 September 2026
Date Deposited:	02 Sep 2026 08:32
Last Modified:	02 Sep 2026 08:32
DOI or ID number:	10.1002/pfm2.70007
URI:	https://researchonline.ljmu.ac.uk/id/eprint/29275

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