(1) More than 557 new natural products including42 new skeletons have been isolated from plants (326 new compounds including 26 new skeletons have been published) since 2006, such as alkaloids, terpenoids and limonoids. Among them, 21 novel compounds were selected into “Hot off the press” of Natural Product Reports. Systemic study of Daphniphyllum alkaloids resulted in discovery of more than 100 new alkaloids including 18 new skeletons, some of which showed good insecticidal activities. Chemical biology study indicated that diterpenoid derivative S-3 induced a structural and functional conversion of Bcl-2 through Bim to permeabilize the mitochondrial outer membrane thereby inducing apoptosis independent of Bax and Bak, as well as S-3 canonical Wnt signaling downstream of b-catenin stability, as a potential compound for treating colorectal cancer. Six novelmodified Daphnane-type diterpenoids, trigonostellimones A-F showed significant anti-HIV-1IIIB activities with EC50 value of 0.59–8.22 ng/mL and TI value of 1811-29610 (AZT: EC50=5.08 ng/mL, TI=198167).
(2) Three different types of anti-TMV (anti tobacco mosaic virus) agents were discoveried from Strobilanthes cusia (Nees) Ktze and Cynanchum paniculatum (Bge.) Kitag., which showed different action mechanisms of anti-TMV. Seco-pregnane steroides were effective and selective inhibitors targeting to subgenomic RNA of alpha-like positive-strand RNA virus (Togaviridae family) including plant-infecting TMV, and animal-infecting SINV, EEE and Getah virus. New chemical inducer AHO induced the systemic acquired resistance in plants via the salicylic acid-mediated signal transduction pathway. Cinchonaglycoside C can induce a ribosome-inactivating protein (RIP), which possess anti-TMV function. From then, other type of anti-TMV agents such as b-carboline compounds and quassinoids have been reported by our group. Benzylphenethylamine alkaloids can suppressed heat shock cognate 70 protein (Hsc 70) expression of the host cells but not affected the viral enzymes, which perhaps is a one of the main reason for their antiviral activity with a wide spectrum. b-Carboline compounds isolated from Picrasma quassioides and quassinoids from the fruit of Brucia javanica also showed good anti-TMV activities, and synergistic effect against TMV when b-Carboline combined with quassinoid isolated from same plant.