Apocynaceae Melodinus plants have a long history in folk use in China

and their chemical compositions and bioactivities are concerned by domestic and abroad scholars. As the important effective ingredients

more than 200 alkaloids with novel and complex structures have been isolated from Melodinus genus. According to the modern pharmacological studies

alkaloids of the Melodinus genus show good antitumor

antibacterial and antifertility activities. The studies on alkaloids of Melodinus genus were summarized according to the domestic and foreign literature in the past 30 years. The indole and quinoline alkaloids and their bioactivities were reviewed from M. hemsleyanus

M. tenuicaudatus

M. fusiformis

M. henryi

M. axillaris

M. khasianus

M. yunnanensis and M. suaveolens respectively to provide reference for further development of Melodinus plants.