Natural sesquiterpenoid oligomers: A chemical perspective.

Sesquiterpenoid oligomers, biogenetically assembled by at least two monomeric sesquiterpenoid units via diverse pathways, represent a unique class of natural products with distinct bioactivities. Herein, we provide a review covering the dimeric, trimeric, and tetrameric sesquiterpenoids categorized by reaction types in biosynthesis from a chemical perspective. Emphasis is focused on the biosynthetic oligomerization pathways of these interesting molecules and their related biological functions, which will supply inspiration for the total synthesis or biomimetic synthesis of more oligomeric sesquiterpenoids and further pharmacological investigations. Image 1 • Dimeric, trimeric, and tetrameric sesquiterpenoids are covered in the review. • Sesquiterpenoid oligomers are categorized by reaction types in biosynthetic pathways. • An attempt has been made to describe the mechanistic hypotheses in biosynthesis. • Natural sesquiterpenoid oligomers exhibit various bioactivities with potential. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]