Hibiscus Acid: An Overview

Natural and synthetic optically active butyrolactones have attracted much attention due to their biological and functional properties. These molecules play key roles as building blocks for the synthesis of many types of natural products and potential drugs. Hibiscus acid is one of the natural optical isomer of hydroxycitric acid belongs to butyrolactone category. Hibiscus acid is known to be a potent inhibitor of ¿-amylase and ¿-glucosidase, which results into the reduction in absorption and metabolism of carbohydrate and therefore it might be hypothesized that hibiscus acid could inhibit lipogenesis during a lipogenic diet i.e. a diet rich in carbohydrates. This review focussed on exploring the journey of hibiscus acid since its discovery in 1939. Findings of the last seventy years are detailed within the context of its source, discovery and different methods of isolation, chemistry, total synthesis, stereochemistry, properties and derivatives of hibiscus acid, spectroscopic data and biological applications. This commentary is a coherent presentation of scattered literature on hibiscus acid and is provocative of further research.