[Studies on the constituents and biological activities of simaroubaceous plants]

In search of new compounds in simaroubaceous plants, we have been investigating naturally occurring substances [alkaloids, quassinoids, limonoids and picrotoxane-type terpenoids] on the following subjects: I. chemical studies on the constituents of Japanese simaroubaceous plants (I-1 and 2), II. chemical studies on the constituents of Indonesian and Chinese simaroubaceous plants (II-1-9), III. biological activities of the isolated natural compounds mainly and the chemical modification analogs (III-1-9). This article reviews the results obtained in our laboratory since 1976 on the subjects of I, II and III.