scholarly journals Alkaloids Used as Medicines: Structural Phytochemistry Meets Biodiversity—An Update and Forward Look

Molecules ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (7) ◽  
pp. 1836
Author(s):  
Michael Heinrich ◽  
Jeffrey Mah ◽  
Vafa Amirkia
Keyword(s):  
Drug Development ◽  
Natural Product ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
Species Abundance ◽  
Computational Design ◽  
Food Supplement ◽  
Plant Systematics ◽  
Medicinal Species ◽  
Global Biodiversity Information Facility ◽  
Multiple Species

Selecting candidates for drug developments using computational design and empirical rules has resulted in a broad discussion about their success. In a previous study, we had shown that a species’ abundance [as expressed by the GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility)] dataset is a core determinant for the development of a natural product into a medicine. Our overarching aim is to understand the unique requirements for natural product-based drug development. Web of Science was queried for research on alkaloids in combination with plant systematics/taxonomy. All alkaloids containing species demonstrated an average increase of 8.66 in GBIF occurrences between 2014 and 2020. Medicinal Species with alkaloids show higher abundance compared to non-medicinal alkaloids, often linked also to cultivation. Alkaloids with high biodiversity are often simple alkaloids found in multiple species with the presence of ’driver species‘ and are more likely to be included in early-stage drug development compared to ‘rare’ alkaloids. Similarly, the success of an alkaloid containing species as a food supplement (‘botanical’) is linked to its abundance. GBIF is a useful tool for assessing the druggability of a compound from a certain source species. The success of any development programme from natural sources must take sustainable sourcing into account right from the start.

Application of Advanced Technologies in Natural Product Research: A Review with Special Emphasis on ADMET Profiling

2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (10) ◽  
pp. 751-767
Author(s):  
Pobitra Borah ◽  
Sangeeta Hazarika ◽  
Satyendra Deka ◽  
Katharigatta N. Venugopala ◽  
Anroop B. Nair ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Drug Discovery ◽  
Natural Product ◽  
Dynamic Range ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
Attrition Rate ◽  
Drug Candidates ◽  
Advanced Technologies ◽  
Natural Product Research ◽  
The Status ◽  
Safety Parameters

The successful conversion of natural products (NPs) into lead compounds and novel pharmacophores has emboldened the researchers to harness the drug discovery process with a lot more enthusiasm. However, forfeit of bioactive NPs resulting from an overabundance of metabolites and their wide dynamic range have created the bottleneck in NP researches. Similarly, the existence of multidimensional challenges, including the evaluation of pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, and safety parameters, has been a concerning issue. Advancement of technology has brought the evolution of traditional natural product researches into the computer-based assessment exhibiting pretentious remarks about their efficiency in drug discovery. The early attention to the quality of the NPs may reduce the attrition rate of drug candidates by parallel assessment of ADMET profiling. This article reviews the status, challenges, opportunities, and integration of advanced technologies in natural product research. Indeed, emphasis will be laid on the current and futuristic direction towards the application of newer technologies in early-stage ADMET profiling of bioactive moieties from the natural sources. It can be expected that combinatorial approaches in ADMET profiling will fortify the natural product-based drug discovery in the near future.

scholarly journals A Novel Piperazine-Based Drug Lead for Cryptosporidiosis from the Medicines for Malaria Venture Open-Access Malaria Box

2018 ◽  
Vol 62 (4) ◽  
pp. e01505-17 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. S. Jumani ◽  
K. Bessoff ◽  
M. S. Love ◽  
P. Miller ◽  
E. E. Stebbins ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mouse Model ◽  
Drug Development ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
New Drugs ◽  
Cryptosporidium Hominis ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Knockout Mouse Model ◽  
Malaria Box

ABSTRACTCryptosporidiosis causes life-threatening diarrhea in children under the age of 5 years and prolonged diarrhea in immunodeficient people, especially AIDS patients. The standard of care, nitazoxanide, is modestly effective in children and ineffective in immunocompromised individuals. In addition to the need for new drugs, better knowledge of drug properties that drivein vivoefficacy is needed to facilitate drug development. We report the identification of a piperazine-based lead compound forCryptosporidiumdrug development, MMV665917, and a new pharmacodynamic method used for its characterization. The identification of MMV665917 from the Medicines for Malaria Venture Malaria Box was followed by dose-response studies,in vitrotoxicity studies, and structure-activity relationship studies using commercial analogues. The potency of this compound againstCryptosporidium parvumIowa and field isolates was comparable to that againstCryptosporidium hominis. Furthermore, unlike nitazoxanide, clofazimine, and paromomycin, MMV665917 appeared to be curative in a NOD SCID gamma mouse model of chronic cryptosporidiosis. MMV665917 was also efficacious in a gamma interferon knockout mouse model of acute cryptosporidiosis. To determine if efficacy in this mouse model of chronic infection might relate to whether compounds are parasiticidal or parasitistatic forC. parvum, we developed a novelin vitroparasite persistence assay. This assay suggested that MMV665917 was parasiticidal, unlike nitazoxanide, clofazimine, and paromomycin. The assay also enabled determination of the concentration of the compound required to maximize the rate of parasite elimination. This time-kill assay can be used to prioritize early-stageCryptosporidiumdrug leads and may aid in planningin vivoefficacy experiments. Collectively, these results identify MMV665917 as a promising lead and establish a new method for characterizing potential anticryptosporidial agents.

scholarly journals Using Ex Vivo Porcine Jejunum to Identify Membrane Transporter Substrates: A Screening Tool for Early—Stage Drug Development

Biomedicines ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (9) ◽  
pp. 340
Author(s):  
Yvonne E. Arnold ◽  
Yogeshvar N. Kalia
Keyword(s):  
Drug Development ◽  
Ex Vivo ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
Ussing Chamber ◽  
Organic Anion ◽  
Membrane Transporters ◽  
Peptide Transporter ◽  
Multi Drug Resistance ◽  
Cancer Resistance ◽  
Chamber System

Robust, predictive ex vivo/in vitro models to study intestinal drug absorption by passive and active transport mechanisms are scarce. Membrane transporters can significantly impact drug uptake and transporter-mediated drug–drug interactions can play a pivotal role in determining the drug safety profile. Here, the presence and activity of seven clinically relevant apical/basolateral drug transporters found in human jejunum were tested using ex vivo porcine intestine in a Ussing chamber system. Experiments using known substrates of peptide transporter 1 (PEPT1), organic anion transporting polypeptide (OATP2B1), organic cation transporter 1 (OCT1), P-glycoprotein (P-gp), breast cancer resistance protein (BCRP), multi drug resistance-associated protein 2 and 3 (MRP2 and MRP3), in the absence and presence of potent inhibitors, showed that there was a statistically significant change in apparent intestinal permeability Papp,pig (cm/s) in the presence of the corresponding inhibitor. For MRP2, a transporter reportedly present at relatively low concentration, although Papp,pig did not significantly change in the presence of the inhibitor, substrate deposition (QDEP) in the intestinal tissue was significantly increased. The activity of the seven transport proteins was successfully demonstrated and the results provided insight into their apical/basolateral localization. In conclusion, the results suggest that studies using the porcine intestine/Ussing chamber system, which could easily be integrated into the drug development process, might enable the early-stage identification of new molecular entities that are substrates of membrane transporters.

Cell-based fluorescence assay for evaluation of new-drugs potential for phospholipidosis in an early stage of drug development

2007 ◽  
Vol 58 (6) ◽  
pp. 375-382 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hisako Fujimura ◽  
Eriha Dekura ◽  
Michie Kurabe ◽  
Noriko Shimazu ◽  
Mieko Koitabashi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Drug Development ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
Fluorescence Assay ◽  
New Drugs

scholarly journals Synthetic derivatives of genistein, their properties and possible applications.

2010 ◽  
Vol 57 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Aleksandra Rusin ◽  
Zdzisław Krawczyk ◽  
Grzegorz Grynkiewicz ◽  
Agnieszka Gogler ◽  
Jadwiga Zawisza-Puchałka ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Drug Development ◽  
Physicochemical Properties ◽  
Clinical Application ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Chemical Reactivity ◽  
Food Supplement ◽  
Basic Information ◽  
Chemopreventive Agent ◽  
Synthetic Derivatives ◽  
Derivatives Of

Genistein, the principal isoflavone constituent of soybean, attracts much attention as a natural molecule with significant affinity towards targets of potential medicinal interest, but also as a food supplement or prospective chemopreventive agent. Since its physicochemical properties are considered suboptimal for drug development, much effort has been invested in designing its analogs and conjugates in hope to obtain compounds with improved efficacy and selectivity. The aim of this article is to summarize current knowledge about the properties of synthetic genistein derivatives and to discuss possible clinical application of selected novel compounds. Some basic information concerning chemical reactivity of genistein, relevant to the synthesis of its derivatives, is also presented.

scholarly journals A Concise Total Synthesis of (±)-Vibralactone

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sepand Nistanaki ◽  
Luke A. Boralsky ◽  
Roy D. Pan ◽  
Hosea Nelson
Keyword(s):  
Total Synthesis ◽  
Natural Product ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
Ring Expansion ◽  
Biologically Active ◽  
Valence Isomerization ◽  
Reduction Strategy ◽  
Quaternary Stereocenter

Disclosed is a four-step synthesis of (<i>±</i>)-vibralactone, a biologically active terpenoid natural product. A key photochemical valence isomerization of 3-prenyl-pyran-2-one forges both the all-carbon quaternary stereocenter and the β-lactone at an early stage. Cyclopropanation of the resulting bicyclic β-lactone furnishes a strained housane structure that is converted to the natural product through a sequential ring expansion and reduction strategy. Our concise and modular route to the natural product provides the shortest total synthesis of (<i>±</i>)-vibralactone reported to date. <br>

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document