Correction for 'Progress in the discovery and development of anticancer agents from marine cyanobacteria' by Hendrik Luesch et al., Nat. Prod. Rep., 2025, 42, 208-256, https://doi.org/10.1039/D4NP00019F.
Correction for 'Progress in the discovery and development of anticancer agents from marine cyanobacteria' by Hendrik Luesch et al., Nat. Prod. Rep., 2025, 42, 208-256, https://doi.org/10.1039/D4NP00019F.
Covering: 2000 to August 2025The search for new antimicrobial natural products from microorganisms has been limited by the transcriptional silencing of biosynthetic genes when microbes are cultivated outside their ecological environments. Nevertheless, applying knowledge of the ecological roles, for example, microbial defense against plant pathogens, can improve drug discovery efforts. Interactions between plants and their microbiota, during adaptation to pathogen stress, provide ecological cues that induce microenvironments suppressive to pathogens. This article highlights research linking pathogen-induced plant stress signals to the activation of microbial natural product biosynthesis, emphasizing the need for further studies on how plant metabolites can influence biosynthesis in plant-associated microbes.
Covering: up to 2026The Stachybotrys fungi have proven to be rich sources of triprenyl meroterpenoids. In addition to natural products typified by the relatively well known K76, stachybotrin, kampanol and stachyflin are the bisabosquals. The first four bisabosquals were discovered in 2001 and found to have a unique molecular structure displaying an all cis benzopyran-fused benzofuran core. Over the past two decades, this family has been extended, while their novel structure has stimulated efforts focused on their chemical synthesis. Herein, we provide a highlight, covering the isolation, biosynthesis and bioactivities of the bisabosquals and seco-bisabosquals along with studies focused on their total syntheses.
Covering: 2006-2025Corynanthe alkaloids constitute the largest class of monoterpene indole alkaloids and feature a secologanin-derived carbon skeleton fused to an indole or indole-derived heterocycle. To date, thousands of structurally diverse members have been identified, exhibiting activities ranging from anti-inflammatory and antihypertensive to neuroprotective effects. Growing insight into ajmaline biosynthesis and recent advances in the synthetic construction of corynantheine-type scaffolds have renewed interest in this family. However, contemporary reviews largely emphasize structural diversity and biological function, while offering limited systematic coverage of biosynthetic logic or total-synthesis strategies. The present review compiles corynanthe alkaloids reported between 2006 and 2025 and summarizes their natural sources. It also provides an integrated overview of recent progress in both biosynthetic elucidation and chemical synthesis of simple corynanthe alkaloids and yohimbine alkaloids, alongside a concise survey of their biological activities. Collectively, this review aims to stimulate new perspectives on the discovery and synthetic innovation of corynanthe alkaloids, providing a valuable resource for researchers in natural-product chemistry and drug development.
Covering: 2005 to July 2025Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), emerging as one of the most common multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacterial strains, has posed a serious threat to global healthcare over the past few decades due to its high rates of morbidity and mortality. Aromatic polyketides, renowned for their intricate structures and diverse biological activities, are a remarkable bioresource for developing new antimicrobial agents. This review systematically classifies all natural aromatic polyketides (from 2005 to 2025) with anti-MRSA activity (MICs < 10 µg mL-1) from microbial sources, and summarizes their structure-activity relationships, additional bioactivities, and reported antibacterial mechanisms. Meanwhile, the clinical utilization status, limitations, and ongoing challenges associated with existing anti-MRSA aromatic polyketide antibiotics were assessed, alongside valuable perspectives on the potential advancement of aromatic polyketide derivatives. Additionally, the review provides further insights into drug innovation and future trends in medicinal research regarding the rational development of anti-MRSA aromatic polyketide drugs, offering a valuable reference for future research and pharmaceutical development.
Covering: upto 2025The increasing prevalence of allergic diseases and immunological disorders is a significant public health issue requiring the development of novel therapeutic approaches. Interleukins are prime therapeutic targets because they are crucial for immune control and allergic aetiology. Naturally occurring bioactive compounds show tremendous promise for altering interleukin signalling, providing therapeutic advantages with potentially fewer adverse effects than those of synthesised drugs. This review highlights key bioactive substances that influence interleukin pathways, including flavonoids, polyphenols, terpenoids, alkaloids, and plant extracts. These compounds exhibit multiple mechanisms of action, including enhanced anti-inflammatory responses and reduced production of pro-inflammatory cytokines. Controlling several interleukin-mediated pathways, including IL-6 and IL-17, IL-1β and IL-10, as well as IL-4 and IL-13, has shown promise, thus showing substantial anti-allergic properties. These compounds exert modulatory effects by reducing Th2-mediated allergic reactions. This review examined their binding affinities to important interleukins to support the therapeutic potential of these bioactive metabolites. Although the results are encouraging, some issues remain, including variations in compound bioavailability, formulation issues, and insufficient clinical validation. This review addresses these challenges and highlights the potential use of bioactive compounds in innovative approaches aimed at interleukin-mediated pathways in immunological control and allergies.
Covering: up to December 2024Trimers constitute a group of natural products with considerable structural variability, formed through homo- or hetero-trimeric coupling of three monomeric units. They usually have complex structures because they are made up of different monomeric natural products as structural units, and undergo trimerization. These secondary metabolites have captured the interest of synthetic chemists and biological scientists due to their rarity and significant biological activities. In this review, we highlight some interesting trimeric natural products, showcasing the diversity of their structures, biosynthesis, and biomimetic synthesis, as well as their biological functions. These pathways could inspire the discovery and synthesis of more trimer secondary metabolites and further biological investigations.

