Volume 78, Issue 5, 22 December 2005, Pages 431–441
NATURECEUTICALS
(NATURAL PRODUCTS), NUTRACEUTICALS, HERBAL BOTANICALS, AND
PSYCHOACTIVES: DRUG DISCOVERY AND DRUG-DRUG INTERACTIONS
— Volume I: Natureceuticals (Natural Products), Herbal Botanicals,
Psychoactive Hallucinogens and Related Products
Abstract
Current
research in drug discovery from medicinal plants involves a
multifaceted approach combining botanical, phytochemical, biological,
and molecular techniques. Medicinal plant drug discovery continues to
provide new and important leads against various pharmacological targets
including cancer, HIV/AIDS, Alzheimer's, malaria, and pain. Several
natural product drugs of plant origin have either recently been
introduced to the United States market, including arteether,
galantamine, nitisinone, and tiotropium, or are currently involved in
late-phase clinical trials. As part of our National Cooperative Drug
Discovery Group (NCDDG) research project, numerous compounds from
tropical rainforest plant species with potential anticancer activity
have been identified. Our group has also isolated several compounds,
mainly from edible plant species or plants used as dietary supplements,
that may act as chemopreventive agents. Although drug discovery from
medicinal plants continues to provide an important source of new drug
leads, numerous challenges are encountered including the procurement of
plant materials, the selection and implementation of appropriate
high-throughput screening bioassays, and the scale-up of active
compounds.
Keywords
- Pharmacognosy;
- Medicinal plants;
- Natural products;
- National Cooperative Drug Discovery Group (NCDDG);
- Anticancer agents;
- Cancer chemoprevention;
- Challenges
