Coumarins: The Antimicrobial agents

Emergence of resistance by bacterial and fungal stains towards existing antimicrobial agents is one of the major problem as well as motivation to synthesize a new class of antimicrobial agents possessing potent activity compared to commonly used therapy. Coumarin is the heterocyclic compound formed from benzene and pyrone ring containing oxygen and its derivatives are of wide awareness because of their diverse biological activity and clinical applications, they are remarkably effective compounds both with respect to their inhibitory activity and their favourable selectivity ratio. Coumarins are regarded as a promising class of bioactive heterocyclic compounds that exhibit a range of biological activities like anti-microbial, anti-viral, anti-diabetic, anti-cancer activity, anti-oxidant, anti-parasitic, antihelmintic, anti-proliferative, anti-convulsant, anti-inflammatory and anti-hypertensive activities etc. The information given in this manuscript may be helpful in the further research of better antimicrobial agents having lesser microbial resistance and improved antimicrobial profile.