title: The relevance of higher plants in lead compound discovery programs.
abstract: Along with compounds from terrestrial microorganisms, the constituents of higher plants have provided a substantial number of the natural product-derived drugs used currently in Western medicine. Interest in the elucidation of new structures of the secondary metabolite constituents of plants has remained high among the natural products community over the first decade of the 21st century, particularly of species that are used in systems of traditional medicine or are utilized as botanical dietary supplements. In this review, progress made in the senior author's laboratory in research work on naturally occurring sweeteners and other taste-modifying substances and on potential anticancer agents from tropical plants will be described.
authors.affiliation: Division of Medicinal Chemistry and Pharmacognosy, College of Pharmacy, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43210, USA. kinghorn.4@osu.edu
authors.forename: A Douglas
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Kinghorn
authors.forename: Li
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Pan
authors.forename: Joshua N
authors.initials: JN
authors.lastname: Fletcher
authors.forename: Heebyung
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Chai
mesh_terms: D000972:Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology; D001688:Biological Products / Q000737:chemistry*; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D055808:Drug Discovery; D004364:Pharmaceutical Preparations; D010946:Plants, Medicinal / Q000737:chemistry*; D012717:Sesquiterpenes / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification; D014315:Triterpenes / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification; D001572:Benzofurans
chemical_list: D000972:Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic; D001688:Biological Products; D004364:Pharmaceutical Preparations; D012717:Sesquiterpenes; D014315:Triterpenes; C489897:silvestrol; D001572:Benzofurans; C044111:hernandulcin