Abstract
Natural products isolated from Litsea verticillata have attracted considerable attention from the chemical community due to their unique structures and promising anti-HIV activities. Recent progresses in the isolation and bioactivity studies for these natural molecules were summarized comprehensively. From the 23 previously uncharacterized compounds isolated from the plant Litsea verticillata, litseaverticillol B demonstrated the most potent anti-HIV activity in vitro, with IC(50) ranging from 2 to 3 μg/mL. Meanwhile, litseaverticillol E displayed the highest selectivity index (SI = 3.1), indicating a favorable balance between antiviral potency and cellular toxicity. The plausible biosynthetic pathways and the total synthetic approaches for the representative members (litseaverticillols) were introduced in detail.