Figure 1. Structural and functional inspirations from natural products.
Bryostatin 1 (a) is putatively an antifeedant compound produced in the marine bryozoan Bugula neritina (b). This ornate natural product also has useful anticancer activity. Taxol (c) was isolated from the bark of the Pacific yew (d). It interferes with cytoskeletal dynamics to arrest the cell cycle and is used for the treatment of breast and ovarian cancers. Ac, acetyl; Bz, benzoyl; Ph, phenyl.