Delta-lactones

Simvastatin, sold under the brand name Zocor among others, is a statin, a type of lipid-lowering medication. It is used along with exercise, diet, and weight loss to decrease elevated lipid levels. It is also used to decrease the risk of heart problems in those at high risk. It is taken by mouth.

Lovastatin, sold under the brand name Mevacor among others, is a statin medication, to treat high blood cholesterol and reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. Its use is recommended together with lifestyle changes. It is taken by mouth.

Irinotecan, sold under the brand name Camptosar among others, is an anti-cancer medication used to treat colon cancer and small cell lung cancer. For colon cancer it is used either alone or with fluorouracil. For small cell lung cancer it is used with cisplatin. It is given intravenously.

Oxandrolone is an androgen and synthetic anabolic steroid (AAS) medication to help promote weight gain in various situations, to help offset protein catabolism caused by long-term corticosteroid therapy, to support recovery from severe burns, to treat bone pain associated with osteoporosis, to aid in the development of girls with Turner syndrome, and for other indications. It is taken by mouth. It was sold under the brand names Oxandrin and Anavar, among others.

Topotecan, sold under the brand name Hycamtin among others, is a chemotherapeutic agent medication that is a topoisomerase inhibitor. It is a synthetic, water-soluble analog of the natural chemical compound camptothecin. It is used in the form of its hydrochloride salt to treat ovarian cancer, lung cancer and other cancer types.

6-Phosphogluconolactone is an intermediate in the pentose phosphate pathway (PPP).

δ-Valerolactone (delta-valerolactone) is a lactone used as a chemical intermediate in processes such as the production of polyesters.

Camptothecin (CPT) is a topoisomerase inhibitor. It was discovered in 1966 by M. E. Wall and M. C. Wani in systematic screening of natural products for anticancer drugs. It was isolated from the bark of Camptotheca acuminata (喜树 "Happy tree"), a tree native to China used in traditional Chinese medicine. It has been used clinically in China for the treatment of gastrointestinal tumors. CPT showed anticancer activity in preliminary clinical trials, especially against breast, ovarian, colon, lung, and stomach cancers. However, it has low solubility and adverse effects have been reported when used

Mevastatin (compactin, ML-236B) is a hypolipidemic agent that belongs to the statins class.

Glucono-δ-lactone (GDL), also known as gluconolactone, is an organic compound with the formula . A colorless solid, it is an oxidized derivative of glucose.

Limonin is a limonoid, and a bitter, white, crystalline substance found in citrus and other plants. It is also known as limonoate D-ring-lactone and limonoic acid di-delta-lactone. Chemically, it is a member of the class of compounds known as furanolactones.

(+)-Discodermolide is a polyketide natural product found to stabilize microtubules. (+)-discodermolide was isolated by Gunasekera and his co-workers at the Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute from the deep-sea sponge Discodermia dissoluta in 1990. (+)-Discodermolide was found to be a potent inhibitor of tumor cell growth in several MDR cancer cell lines. (+)-discodermolide also shows some unique characters, including a linear backbone structure, immunosuppressive properties both in vitro and in vivo, potent induction of an accelerated senescence phenotype, and synergistic antiproliferative a

Wortmannin, a steroid metabolite of the fungi Penicillium funiculosum, Talaromyces wortmannii, is a non-specific, covalent inhibitor of phosphoinositide 3-kinases (PI3Ks). It has an in vitro inhibitory concentration (IC50) of around 5 nM, making it a more potent inhibitor than LY294002, another commonly used PI3K inhibitor. It displays a similar potency in vitro for the class I, II, and III PI3K members although it can also inhibit other PI3K-related enzymes such as mTOR, DNA-PKcs, some phosphatidylinositol 4-kinases, myosin light chain kinase (MLCK) and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK)

Exatecan is a drug which is a structural analog of camptothecin with antineoplastic activity.

Ailanthone is a quassinoid allelochemical produced by the tree Ailanthus altissima (commonly known as tree of heaven). It is a key agent behind the tree's strong allelopathic effects, which inhibit the growth of competing plants by suppressing seed germination and disrupting root elongation. Native to China, Ailanthus altissima has become one of the worst invasive species in North America and Europe, where ailanthone is known to contribute significantly to its competitive spread.

Testolactone (, ) (brand name Teslac) is a non-selective, irreversible, steroidal aromatase inhibitor which is used as an antineoplastic drug to treat advanced-stage breast cancer. The drug was discontinued in 2008 and is no longer available for medical use.

δ-Decalactone (DDL) is a chemical compound, classified as a lactone, that naturally occurs in fruit and milk products in traces. It can be obtained from both chemical and biological sources. Chemically, it is produced from Baeyer–Villiger oxidation of delfone. From biomass, it can be produced via the hydrogenation of 6-pentyl-α-pyrone. DDL has applications in food, polymer, and agricultural industries to formulate important products.

Lurtotecan is a semi-synthetic analog of camptothecin with antineoplastic activity. Liposomal lurtotecan was in clinical trials as a treatment for topotecan-resistant ovarian cancer, but was discontinued.

Belotecan is a drug used in chemotherapy. It is a semi-synthetic camptothecin analogue indicated for small-cell lung cancer and ovarian cancer, approved in South Korea under the trade name Camtobell, presented in 2 mg vials for injection. The drug has been marketed by Chong Kun Dang Pharmaceuticals since 2003.

δ-Nonalactone is a chemical compound found in bourbon whiskey.