oa Editorial [Hot Topic: Natural Products as Leads for New Drugs and Pesticides Discovery (Guest Editor: Hui Xu)]

Nowadays, natural products, which could provide novel unique structures and usually have new mechanisms of action, constitute a prolific source of lead compounds for the development of novel drugs and pesticides, therefore, they play the very important roles in medicine chemistry and agrochemistry. This special issue is aimed at providing a recent update on the chemistry and modes of action of the natural products as the novel drugs and pesticides. The lead compounds from natural products optimized as the candidates by rational design-based structural modification and structure-activity relationship analysis are also addressed. Dr. Diego Gamba-Sanchez describes synthesis, biological activities, and structure-activity relationships of fumagillin and structurally related compounds. Dr. Devendra Singh Negi summarizes Himalayan plant species as pesticidal agents. Dr. Shi-Wu Chen reviews the biological and pharmacological activities, total synthesis and structure-activity relationships of triptolide and congeners. Prof. Jason T. C. Tzen presents the cardiac therapeutic effect of Magnesium Lithospermate B through both in vitro study and molecular modeling. Dr. Biswanath Das summarizes the sources, chemistry, bioactivities, and structure-activity relationships of some promising natural anticancer compounds. Prof. Gordana Stojanovic reviews the structure, biological properties, biosynthesis and structure-activity relationships of known lichen depsidones. Dr. R.S. Mann presents the recent work on natural compounds evaluated for control of insect vectors of human and animal pathogens. I would like to thank the Editorial Board of Mini Reviews in Organic Chemistry for their trust and the opportunity to organize this special issue. Meanwhile, my sincere thanks are attributed to all authors for their excellent contributions, and the anonymous peer reviewers for their constructive comments. Finally, I sincerely thank Miss Qurrat-ul-Ain Khan for her nice support and cooperation.