The isolation of the antitumor antibiotic anthramycin in the 1960s prompted extensive research into pyrrolo[1,4]benzodiazepines (PBD) as potential therapeutics for the treatment of cancers. Since then, nearly 60 PBD natural products have been isolated and evaluated with regard to their biological activity. Synthetic studies and total syntheses have enabled access to PBD analogues, culminating in the development of highly potent anticancer agents. This review provides a summary of the occurrence and biological activity of PBD natural products and covers the strategies employed for their total syntheses.

中文翻译：

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吡咯并[1,4]苯二氮卓类天然产物的分离、化学和生物学

1960 年代抗肿瘤抗生素蒽霉素的分离促使人们对吡咯并[1,4]苯二氮卓类药物 (PBD) 作为治疗癌症的潜在疗法进行了广泛研究。从那时起，已分离出近 60 种 PBD 天然产物并对其生物活性进行了评估。合成研究和全合成使人们能够获得 PBD 类似物，最终开发出高效的抗癌剂。本综述概述了 PBD 天然产物的发生和生物活性，并涵盖了其总合成所采用的策略。