This review covers the structures and biological activities of peroxy natural products from a wide variety of terrestrial fungi, higher plants, and marine organisms. Syntheses that confirm or revise structures or stereochemistries have also been included, and 406 references are cited.

This review examines the chemical compositions and bioactivities of mangrove plants belonging to the Rhizophoraceae family. The Rhizophoraceae family of true mangrove plants is the most common and is also widely distributed species. It consists of 24 species across four genera. Of the 24 species, 12 species remain unexamined for their phytochemical constituents. There have been 268 metabolites reported from 16 species. The key phytochemical constituents identified across the family are the diterpenoids and triterpenoids. The major diterpenoids include pimaranes, beyeranes, kaurenes, dolabranes and labdanes whereas the significant triterpenoids are lupanes, dammaranes and oleananes. Disulphides, dolabranes and labdanes are considered to be the chemotaxonomic markers of the genera Bruguiera, Ceriops and Rhizophora respectively.

Three new homo-adamantanyl type natural products were derived from polyprenylated polycyclic acylphloroglucinol. Hypercohones A-C (1-3), along with five other known hypercohones (4-8), were isolated from the aerial parts of Hypericum cohaerens. The structures of 1-3 were elucidated on the basis of comprehensive spectroscopic analysis. The inhibitory activities of these isolates against five human cancer cell lines in vitro were tested.

Five hitherto unknown isoflavonoids, namely erythrinins D-H (1-5), were isolated from the ethanol extract of Erythrina arborescens. Their structures were elucidated on the basis of extensive spectroscopic studies. In addition, the structure of anagyroidisoflavone A (6a) has been revised as 1"-O-methylerythrinin F (6) by re-analysis of the original spectroscopic data.

Eleven new secoiridoid aglycones involving unusual C₉-skeleton:swerimilegenins A-F (1-6); bis-C₉-skeleton:swerimilegenin G (7); and C₁₀-skeleton:swerimilegenins H-K (8-11), as well as six known ones, were isolated from the low-polarity part of the traditional Chinese herb medicine Swertia mileensis. Their structures were determined by extensive spectroscopic data and X-ray diffraction. Biogenetically, swerimilegenin A (1) belonged to 10-nor-secoiridoid, and swerimilegenins B-F (2-6) were 1-nor-secoiridoids. Erythrocentaurin (12) and gentiogenal (15) showed moderate anti-HBV activity on HepG 2.2.15 cell line in vitro.

Phytochemical investigation of the aerial parts of Dodonaea viscosa led to the isolation of six new compounds including four isoprenylated flavonoids, dodovisones A-D (1-4), and two clerodane diterpenoids, dodovislactones A and B (5 and 6). Their structures were established by extensive spectroscopic analysis.