1. Terpenoids are natural products that are biosynthesized in living organisms from isoprene units. 2. Early research in the 1960s-1970s elucidated the biosynthetic pathway for terpenoids, showing that isoprenoid units are polymerized from mevalonate units derived from acetyl-CoA. 3. The isoprenoid units can cyclize and modify to form different classes of terpenoids, including monoterpenes, sesquiterpenes, and diterpenes.