Title:Sesterterpenoids with Anticancer Activity
Volume: 22
Issue: 30
Author(s): Antonio Evidente, Alexander Kornienko, Florence Lefranc, Alessio Cimmino, Ramesh Dasari, Marco Evidente, Véronique Mathieu and Robert Kiss
Affiliation:
Keywords:
Apoptosis resistance, glioma, in vivo, manoalide, multidrug resistance, ophiobolin A, scalarane.
Abstract: Terpenes have received a great deal of attention in the scientific literature due to
complex, synthetically challenging structures and diverse biological activities associated
with this class of natural products. Based on the number of C5 isoprene units they are generated from, terpenes
are classified as hemi- (C5), mono- (C10), sesqui- (C15), di- (C20), sester- (C25), tri (C30), and tetraterpenes
(C40). Among these, sesterterpenes and their derivatives known as sesterterpenoids, are ubiquitous secondary
metabolites in fungi, marine organisms, and plants. Their structural diversity encompasses carbotricyclic
ophiobolanes, polycyclic anthracenones, polycyclic furan-2-ones, polycyclic hydroquinones, among many
other carbon skeletons. Furthermore, many of them possess promising biological activities including cytotoxicity
and the associated potential as anticancer agents. This review discusses the natural sources that produce
sesterterpenoids, provides sesterterpenoid names and their chemical structures, biological properties with the
focus on anticancer activities and literature references associated with these metabolites. A critical summary
of the potential of various sesterterpenoids as anticancer agents concludes the review.