Chalcones as Versatile Pharmacophores: Advances in Synthetic Strategies and Antiprotozoal Potential

Chalcones are important scaffolds in medicinal chemistry due to their simple synthesis and diverse biological activities. This review summarizes the key synthetic approaches for chalcone preparation, including classical Claisen-Schmidt condensation, microwave-assisted, solvent-free, and modern coupling methods, along with their reported pharmacological properties. Literature findings reveal that chalcones exhibit significant antiprotozoal activity against Plasmodium, Leishmania, and Trypanosoma species, as well as notable antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, antioxidant, and anti-HIV effects. Structure-activity relationship studies indicate that specific aromatic substitutions and modifications of the α, β-unsaturated carbonyl system enhance biological activity. Overall, chalcones remain promising pharmacophores; however, further optimization of synthetic strategies and standardized biological evaluation are required to support their future development as therapeutic agents.