Osthole: an overview of its sources, biological activities, and modification development

Osthole, also known as osthol, is a coumarin derivative found in several medicinal plants such as Cnidium monnieri and Angelica pubescens. It can be obtained via extraction and separation from plants or total synthesis. Plenty of experiments have suggested that osthole exhibited multiple biological activities covering antitumor, anti-inflammatory, neuroprotective, osteogenic, cardiovascular protective, antimicrobial, and antiparasitic activities. In addition, there has been some research done on the optimization and modification of osthole. This article summarizes the comprehensive information regarding the sources and modification progress of osthole. It also introduces the up-to-date biological activities of osthole, which could be of great value for its use in future research. [Image: see text]