Introduction

“Frontiers in Natural Product Chemistry” is a book series devoted to publishing monographs that highlight important advances in natural product chemistry. The series covers all aspects of research in the chemistry and biochemistry of naturally occurring compounds, including research on natural substances derived from plants, microbes and animals. Reviews of structure elucidation, biological activity, organic and experimental synthesis of natural products as well as developments of new methods are also included in the series.

The fifth volume of the series brings six reviews covering these topics:

-Inhibition of monoamine oxidase (MAO) via green tea extracts

-Sesquiterpene lactone cynaropicrin as novel inhibitor of Bcr-Abl fusion oncogene expression

-Effects of dietary polyphenols on chronic diseases

-Overview of past and present developments towards biotechnological and molecular approaches to improve taxol production

-Cytotoxicity through molecular targets involved in apoptosis

-Health related enzyme inhibiting natural products from medicinal plants