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 sixth volume of the series brings five reviews covering these topics:

- Plant protein hydrolyzates from underutilized agricultural and agroindustrial sources: production, characterization and bioactive properties

- New developments in the quinolone class of antibacterial drugs

- Structure of fine starch prepared via a compressed hot water process

- Major metabolites of certain marketed plant alkaloids

- Natural products in cancer chemoprevention and chemotherapy