A Review on Chemical Structure and Biological Activities of Monoterpene Glycosides

Monoterpene glycosides are important active ingredients in many commonly used traditional Chinese medicines. Based on their different aglycones, monoterpene glycosides are primarily classified into five types: acyclic monoterpene glycosides, monocyclic monoterpene glycosides, bicyclic monoterpene glycosides, tricyclic monoterpene glycosides, and iridoid glucosides. These compounds exhibit significant medicinal efficacy, including antioxidant, anti-cancer, anti-tumor, anti-hypertensive, anti-diabetic, antibacterial, and anti-inflammatory properties. However, there have been few reviews published on monoterpene glycosides. This paper systematically summarizes and analyzes the classification, structural characteristics, and bioactivity of monoterpene glycosides, based on research conducted over the past 20 years on those isolated from natural products, thereby providing a scientific basis for the exploitation of monoterpene glycosides. The chemical structures and activities of monoterpene glycosides were obtained from well-known and widely utilized databases, including Web of Science, Science Direct, Google Scholar, PubMed, and CNKI, through the application of various search terms.