Polyketides naphthoquinones

Quinones represent a very large and heterogeneous class of biomolecules. Three major biosynthetic pathways contribute to the formations of various quinones. The aromatic skeletons of quinones can be synthesized by the polyketide pathway and by the shikimate pathway. The isoprenoid pathways are involved in the biosynthesis of the prenyl chain and in the formation of some benzoquinones and naphthoquinones. ... 

Domino [3+2] cycloaddition/annulation reactions of aminophenyl-ynones 23 with nitrile oxides, generated in situ from chloro oximes 22, allowed the synthesis of isoxazolo[4,5-c]quinolines 24, in satisfactory yields <03EJO1423>. Bromine substituents on naphthoquinones activate and orient 1,3-DC with nitrile oxides. Compound 25 reacted with halo oximes 22 to give regioselectively only unsymmetrical naphthoquinones 26, as polyketide building blocks <03TL8901>. 

In contrast to many other naphthoquinones (D 8.1) plumbagin is a polyketide Its formation resembles anthraquinone biosynthesis (D 3.3.5) ... 

Lichens had to evolve diverse biosynthetic pathways to produce such complex arrays of secondary metabolites polyketide, shikimic acid, and mevalonic acid pathways. Most of the lichen substances are phenolic compounds. Polyketide-derived aromatic compounds, depsides, depsidones, dibenzofurans, xanthones, and naphthoquinones, are of great interest. Compounds from other pathways are esters, terpenes, steroids, terphenylquinones, and pulvinic acid (Fahselt 1994 Cohen and Towers 1995 Muller 2001 Brunauer et al. 2006, 2007 Stocker-Worgotter and Elix 2002 Johnson et al. 2011 Manojlovic et al. 2012). So, many lichens and lichen products have proved to be a source of important secondary metabolites for food and pharmaceutical industries (Huneck 1999 Oksanen 2006)... 

Anthraquinones and naphthoquinones are not exclusively formed via the polyketide biosynthetic route. They can also be derived from the shikimate pathway, e.g., the allelopathic naphthoquinone juglone from the walnut tree Juglans regia) and the anthraquinone alizarin from madder root Rubia tinctorium), which was used as purple dye. 

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