Structural diversity and biological activity of natural p-terphenyls

p-Terphenyls are aromatic compounds consisting of a central benzene ring substituted with two phenyl groups, and they are mainly isolated from terrestrial and marine organisms. The central ring of p-Terphenyls is usually modified into more oxidized forms, e.g., para quinone and phenols. In some cases, additional ring systems were observed on the terphenyl-type core structure or between two benzene moieties. p-Terphenyls have been reported to have cytotoxic, antimicrobial, antioxidant and α-glucosidase inhibitory effects. In this review, we will mainly summarize the structural diversity and biological activity of naturally occurring p-Terphenyls referring to the research works published before.