Recent advances of sesquiterpenoid dimers from Compositae: distribution, chemistry and biological activities

Composite family contains a wide variety of plants and many of them possess high medicinal value. Various constituents have been isolated from members of Composite family. Sesquiterpenoids prove to be the characteristic constituents. In recent years, phytochemical studies on natural sesquiterpenoids, especially the sesquiterpenoid dimers from Composite have been a hot spot. As an important class of bioactive natural products, about 260 novel sesquiterpenoid dimers were isolated from plants of Compositae family since 2018 till date and most of them displayed significant therapeutic potential including anti-inflammatory, anti-tumor, neuroprotective, and other effects. In this review, the structural features, plant resources, and biological activities of these newly discovered sesquiterpenoid dimers were summarized. Graphical abstract