Chemical Constituents of Plants from Tribe Chelidonieae and their Bioactivities

The tribe Chelidonieae comprises 23 species of eight genera with an extensive distribution and a long medicinal usage history both in China and Western countries. A large number of chemical constituents have been isolated and identified from the species in tribe Chelidonieae, such as alkaloids, organic acids, and their derivatives, aromatics, triterpenoids, sterols, essential oils, and proteins, most of which possess a variety of bioactivities, especially for the antibacterial, anti-inflammation, antitumor, analgesia, anti-oxidation, and antiparasitic activity. Meanwhile, potential toxicities have been discovered in some constituents. Therefore, the species in tribe Chelidonieae have become a rich source for new drug discovery, biologic study, and mechanism research. This paper presents comprehensive information of the chemical constituents, pharmacological and toxicological research on the plants in tribe Chelidoieae, which is a reference for the plants in this tribe for further development.