Recent progress of natural product chemistry and potential application in fertility control

The present work deals with gossypol a male contraceptive derived from cottonseed oil and antifertility agent zoapatanol which has been isolated from a Mexican plant. It also discusses 2 natural products of microbial origin. They exhibit remarkable biological activities. The 1st group the trichothecene family (verrucarins roridins baccharins) show antibiotic antifungal antiviral insecticidal and cytostatic (antileukemic) activity. The 2nd class of compounds are the cytochalasans (e.g. cytochalasans A B and D chaetoglobosins). They exhibit cytoplasmic cleavage in mammalian cell cultures and cell movement. Some cytochalasans are characterized by other interesting biological activities. Tests for antifertility have not been carried out yet. Biogenesis and approaches to the total synthesis of both classes of natural products are outlined. (authors modified) (summary in ENG)