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Kim S, Lim SW, Choi J. Drug discovery inspired by bioactive small molecules from nature. Anim Cells Syst (Seoul) 2022; 26:254-265. [PMID: 36605590 PMCID: PMC9809404 DOI: 10.1080/19768354.2022.2157480] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Natural products (NPs) have greatly contributed to the development of novel treatments for human diseases such as cancer, metabolic disorders, and infections. Compared to synthetic chemical compounds, primary and secondary metabolites from medicinal plants, fungi, microorganisms, and our bodies are promising resources with immense chemical diversity and favorable properties for drug development. In addition to the well-validated significance of secondary metabolites, endogenous small molecules derived from central metabolism and signaling events have shown great potential as drug candidates due to their unique metabolite-protein interactions. In this short review, we highlight the values of NPs, discuss recent scientific and technological advances including metabolomics tools, chemoproteomics approaches, and artificial intelligence-based computation platforms, and explore potential strategies to overcome the current challenges in NP-driven drug discovery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Seyun Kim
- Department of Biological Sciences, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon, Republic of Korea, Seyun Kim
| | - Seol-Wa Lim
- Department of Biological Sciences, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon, Republic of Korea
| | - Jiyeon Choi
- Department of Biological Sciences, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon, Republic of Korea
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Pirintsos S, Panagiotopoulos A, Bariotakis M, Daskalakis V, Lionis C, Sourvinos G, Karakasiliotis I, Kampa M, Castanas E. From Traditional Ethnopharmacology to Modern Natural Drug Discovery: A Methodology Discussion and Specific Examples. Molecules 2022; 27:molecules27134060. [PMID: 35807306 PMCID: PMC9268545 DOI: 10.3390/molecules27134060] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2022] [Revised: 06/19/2022] [Accepted: 06/22/2022] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Ethnopharmacology, through the description of the beneficial effects of plants, has provided an early framework for the therapeutic use of natural compounds. Natural products, either in their native form or after crude extraction of their active ingredients, have long been used by different populations and explored as invaluable sources for drug design. The transition from traditional ethnopharmacology to drug discovery has followed a straightforward path, assisted by the evolution of isolation and characterization methods, the increase in computational power, and the development of specific chemoinformatic methods. The deriving extensive exploitation of the natural product chemical space has led to the discovery of novel compounds with pharmaceutical properties, although this was not followed by an analogous increase in novel drugs. In this work, we discuss the evolution of ideas and methods, from traditional ethnopharmacology to in silico drug discovery, applied to natural products. We point out that, in the past, the starting point was the plant itself, identified by sustained ethnopharmacological research, with the active compound deriving after extensive analysis and testing. In contrast, in recent years, the active substance has been pinpointed by computational methods (in silico docking and molecular dynamics, network pharmacology), followed by the identification of the plant(s) containing the active ingredient, identified by existing or putative ethnopharmacological information. We further stress the potential pitfalls of recent in silico methods and discuss the absolute need for in vitro and in vivo validation as an absolute requirement. Finally, we present our contribution to natural products’ drug discovery by discussing specific examples, applying the whole continuum of this rapidly evolving field. In detail, we report the isolation of novel antiviral compounds, based on natural products active against influenza and SARS-CoV-2 and novel substances active on a specific GPCR, OXER1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stergios Pirintsos
- Department of Biology, School of Sciences and Technology, University of Crete, 71409 Heraklion, Greece;
- Botanical Garden, University of Crete, 74100 Rethymnon, Greece
- Nature Crete Pharmaceuticals, 71305 Heraklion, Greece; (C.L.); (G.S.); (M.K.)
- Correspondence: (S.P.); (E.C.)
| | - Athanasios Panagiotopoulos
- Laboratory of Experimental Endocrinology, School of Medicine, University of Crete, 71409 Heraklion, Greece;
| | - Michalis Bariotakis
- Department of Biology, School of Sciences and Technology, University of Crete, 71409 Heraklion, Greece;
| | - Vangelis Daskalakis
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Cyprus University of Technology, Limassol 3603, Cyprus;
| | - Christos Lionis
- Nature Crete Pharmaceuticals, 71305 Heraklion, Greece; (C.L.); (G.S.); (M.K.)
- Clinic of Social and Family Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Crete, 71409 Heraklion, Greece
| | - George Sourvinos
- Nature Crete Pharmaceuticals, 71305 Heraklion, Greece; (C.L.); (G.S.); (M.K.)
- Laboratory of Clinical Virology, School of Medicine, University of Crete, 71409 Heraklion, Greece
| | - Ioannis Karakasiliotis
- Laboratory of Biology, School of Medicine, Democritus University of Thrace, 68100 Alexandroupolis, Greece;
| | - Marilena Kampa
- Nature Crete Pharmaceuticals, 71305 Heraklion, Greece; (C.L.); (G.S.); (M.K.)
- Laboratory of Experimental Endocrinology, School of Medicine, University of Crete, 71409 Heraklion, Greece;
| | - Elias Castanas
- Nature Crete Pharmaceuticals, 71305 Heraklion, Greece; (C.L.); (G.S.); (M.K.)
- Laboratory of Experimental Endocrinology, School of Medicine, University of Crete, 71409 Heraklion, Greece;
- Correspondence: (S.P.); (E.C.)
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