RSC - Nat. Prod. Rep. latest articles

Charting the path for L-tyrosine derivatives: from engineering strategies to microbial cell factories

Nat. Prod. Rep., 2026, 43,1026-1062
DOI: 10.1039/D5NP00091B, Review Article

Li Zhou, Xulei Shi, Hui Jiang, Yuanyuan Xia, Haiquan Yang, Wei Shen, Yu Cao, Xianzhong Chen
Review highlights cutting-edge advances in producing L-tyrosine derivatives via tyrosol, p-coumaric acid, and L-DOPA nodes in E. coli and yeast.
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Highlights of cyanobacterial metabolites reported between 2021–2024

Nat. Prod. Rep., 2026, 43,1008-1025
DOI: 10.1039/D5NP00076A, Review Article

Open Access

This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported Licence.

Simon Sieber, Elisabeth M.-L. Janssen
This review provides an overview of newly identified cyanobacterial metabolites from 2021 to 2024. The discovery of specific natural products is discussed.
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Decision making by modular polyketide synthases and implications for genetic engineering

Nat. Prod. Rep., 2026, 43,961-1007
DOI: 10.1039/D6NP00010J, Review Article

Open Access

This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported Licence.

Kira J. Weissman
This review details the many choices underlying faithful biosynthesis of complex polyketides in bacteria, and highlights the implications for genetic engineering aiming to generate novel derivatives.
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Quinic acid as a chiron in total synthesis

Nat. Prod. Rep., 2026, 43,932-960
DOI: 10.1039/D5NP00087D, Review Article

Open Access

This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported Licence.

Manuel J. Verganista, Iago C. Vogel, Nuno R. Candeias
Quinic acid is a versatile chiral building block in asymmetric synthesis, enabling diverse natural products and bioactive compounds. This review highlights four decades of strategies, applications and new trends in complex molecule construction.
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Microbial production of C7–C9 aromatic building blocks for the production of natural products

Nat. Prod. Rep., 2026, 43,897-931
DOI: 10.1039/D5NP00068H, Review Article

Qiaoqiao Dai, Jiaqi Xu, Jing Wu, Xiaomin Li, Cong Gao, Guipeng Hu, Liming Liu
This review surveys representative C₇–C₉ aromatic compounds, outlining their microbial biosynthetic pathways, key metabolic challenges, and recent advances in metabolic engineering for their microbial production.
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Isolation and synthesis of bisabosquals, fungal triprenyl phenol meroterpenoids with a densely functionalised bisabolane core

Nat. Prod. Rep., 2026, 43,803-812
DOI: 10.1039/D5NP00085H, Highlight

James P. Shephard, David W. Lupton
Bisabosquals and seco-bisabosquals are unusual fungal meroterpenoids with a densely functionalised bisabolane core. Herein, we highlight their isolation, biosynthesis and bioactivities along with studies on their total syntheses.
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Natural product inspired antibiotics approved for human use – 1943 to 2025

Nat. Prod. Rep., 2026, 43,813-896
DOI: 10.1039/D5NP00067J, Review Article

Mark S. Butler, Robert J. Capon
This review captures the legacy of natural products in shaping modern infection control and highlights their potential for delivering the next generation of life-saving antibiotics.
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AI and mechanistic modeling for characterizing biosynthetic pathways of natural products

Nat. Prod. Rep., 2026, 43,787-802
DOI: 10.1039/D5NP00059A, Highlight

Byung Tae Lee, Byeongsub Lee, Joon Young Kwon, Tilmann Weber, Hyun Uk Kim
Integrating AI-driven and mechanistic modeling accelerates the discovery and engineering of natural product biosynthetic pathways.
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From gene discovery to synthetic biology: recent advances in the biosynthesis of oleanane-type pentacyclic triterpenoids

Nat. Prod. Rep., 2026, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/D6NP00013D, Review Article

Ismail Abdelsamad, Mohamed Abdulbagi, Jingya Wang, Zheyong Xue, Xu Lu
This review discusses recent progress in biosynthetic enzymes, regulatory networks, and synthetic biology strategies for oleanane-type triterpenoids, including AI-driven predictive optimization for sustainable production.
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Chemical language models for natural product discovery

Nat. Prod. Rep., 2026, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/D6NP00002A, Review Article

Open Access

This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported Licence.

Koh Sakano, Kairi Furui, Apakorn Kengkanna, Yuta Kikuchi, Masahito Ohue
Natural products are an important source of medicines, yet their discovery can be a slow and laborious process.
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Recent advances in decoding biosynthetic pathways and synthetic biology approaches for plant alkaloids

Nat. Prod. Rep., 2026, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/D5NP00089K, Review Article

Lanyu Zhou, Haiyue Gong, Huan Zhao, Luqi Huang, Yating Hu
This review analyzes advances in plant alkaloid biosynthesis (2018–2025), highlighting key challenges in stereochemical control, cyclization, and tailoring modifications, and discusses synthetic biology strategies for microbial production.
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Structural determination of natural products at speeds and scale of high-throughput screening

Nat. Prod. Rep., 2026, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/D6NP00016A, Review Article

Open Access

This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported Licence.

Christopher C. Thornburg, Rohitesh Kumar, Dongdong Wang, Barry R. O'Keefe, Tanja Grkovic
This review highlights analytical techniques and methods used for the structural elucidation of natural products in high-throughput screening campaigns.
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High-throughput assays for SAM-dependent methyltransferases: advances, challenges, and future perspectives

Nat. Prod. Rep., 2026, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/D6NP00006A, Review Article

Open Access

This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported Licence.

Renia Fotiadou, Florian Heinz, Konstantin F. G. Weigmann, Mark Doerr, Uwe T. Bornscheuer, Ioannis V. Pavlidis
High-throughput assays for SAM-dependent methyltransferases are useful tools for protein engineering efforts and beyond; advances, limitations, and future opportunities are herein critically reviewed.
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Skeleton innovation versus structural diversification in terpenoid discovery: chemoinformatic insights from TeroKit

Nat. Prod. Rep., 2026, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/D6NP00004E, Highlight

Tao Zeng, Jiahao Li, Ruibo Wu
Contrasting skeletal exploration with structural exploitation reveals a clear reality: terpenoid discovery in the past six years is overwhelmingly dominated by the modification-driven exploitation of established skeletons.
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Advancing natural product R&D&I: guide for compliance with responsible research and innovation, ethics, Nagoya and Cartagena Protocols, and intellectual property protection

Nat. Prod. Rep., 2026, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/D5NP00072F, Review Article

Open Access

This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported Licence.

Susana P. Gaudêncio, Belma Kalamujić Stroil, Lucie Novoveska, Céline Rebours, Xenia T. Schneider
RRI, ethical standards, the Nagoya and Cartagena Protocols, and IP frameworks influence natural products R&D&I and the bioeconomy, providing a foundation for sustainable and equitable resource use while promoting innovation and growth.
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