Abstract: Xanthone is a collective name for one kind of natural plant secondary metabolites which possess tricyclic aromatic structure and widely distributed in the plants of several family such as Gentianaceae,Guttiferae,Polygalaceae,Moraceae and Leguminosae.The present studies showed that natural xanthones have wide range of pharmacological activities,including anti-tumor,anti-bacterial,anti-viral,hepatoprotective,pypoglycemic,inhibition of xanthine oxidase,etc.The review on pharmacological activities and related molecular mechanisms,structure-activity relationships of titled constituents over the last decade were summarized in this article,by which the prospect of development and utilization of natural xanthones can be prospected.The article provided the reference for the further research and comprehensive utilization of the natural xanthone resources.

Key words: natural xanthone, pharmacological activity, molecular mechanisms, structure-activity relationships