∆^α,β-Butenolides [Furan-2(5H)-Ones]: Ring Construction Approaches and Biological Aspects-A Mini-Review

The five-membered oxacyclic system of furan-2(5H)-ones, commonly named as γ-butenolides or appropriately as ∆^α,β-butenolides, is of high interest since many studies have proven its bioactivity. During the past few years, ∆^α,β-butenolides have been important synthetic targets, with several reports of new procedures for their construction. A short compendium of the main different synthetic methodologies focused on the ∆^α,β-butenolide ring formation, along with selected examples of compounds with relevant biological activities of these promising pharmaceutical entities is pre-sented.