Matrine-family alkaloids as tetracycloquinolizindine analogues from Traditional Chinese
Medicine Sophora flavescens Ait, Sophora subprostrata and Sophora alopecuroides L possess
various pharmacological activities and have aroused great interests over the past decades. Especially,
a lot of matrine derivatives have been designed and synthesized and their biological activities
investigated, and encouraging results have continuously been achieved in recent several
years. These studies are helpful to develop more potent candidates or therapeutic agents and disclose
their molecular targets and mechanisms. This paper reviews recent advances in the bioactive
modifications of matrine-family alkaloids from derivatization of the C-13, C-14 or C-15 position,
opening D ring, fusing D ring and structural simplification.