Picrotoxane sesquiterpenoids: chemistry, chemo- and bio-syntheses and biological activities

Abstract

Covering: up to December 2021Picrotoxane sesquiterpenoids are a special category of natural products known to have a picrotoxane skeleton and are characterised by a highly oxidised cis-hydrindene core, lactone rings, and epoxide functionalities. Ever since the first picrotoxane was isolated from Menispermum cocculus in the early 19^th century, these compounds have long attracted the attention of natural product chemists, synthetic chemists, and pharmacologists for their particular structures and powerful biological activities. This review extensively summarizes a total of 132 naturally occurring picrotoxane sesquiterpenoids, taking into account their distributions, structural classifications, chemical and bio-synthetic researches, and bioactivities. It provides a comprehensive and in-depth perspective for further investigation on picrotoxane sesquiterpenoids.