[Recent progresses in studies on bioactive lignans from plants]

Lignans are widely existed in natural world with a variety of structures and bioactivities, including anti-tumor, antiinflammatory, anti-viral and hepatoprotective properties. Along with the development of new techniques in phytochemistry and application of advanced drug screening methods, a variety of lignans have been identified and their bioactivities revealed. In this review, we summarized the activities of six different types of lignans, including arylnaphthalene, dibenzylbutyrolactone, tetrahydrofuran, dibenzylbutane, dibenzocyclooctadiene and neolignan, in order to provide an updated overview of this research field.