Drug Discovery and Development Focusing on Natural Products
A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Pharmacology".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 28 February 2025 | Viewed by 46
Special Issue Editors
Interests: Chinese herbal medicine; Alzheimer disease; neuroscience; coronavirus infections; drug discovery and development
Interests: natural products; herbs; bioactivities; therapeutics; health food; diabetes; non-alcoholic fatty liver disease
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Natural products known as secondary metabolites are compounds produced by living organisms. Unlike primary metabolites such as nucleotides, amino acids, carbohydrates, and lipids that are essential for growth, secondary metabolites are not necessary for basic survival. Instead, they play roles related to defense when organisms are under stress. Many herbal medicines and microbial secondary metabolites have the potential for biological activity, making them valuable natural resources. Throughout history, natural products and their structural analogs have significantly contributed to drug therapies, particularly in areas such as cancer, infectious diseases, cardiovascular conditions, and metabolic syndromes. However, natural products also present new opportunities for drug discovery and development. Recent advancements in techniques and scientific understanding, including improved analytical tools, genome mining, engineering strategies, and microbial cultivation, address challenges and open up novel avenues. As a result, interest in using natural products as lead compounds for drug development is resurging, especially in the context of combating antibiotic resistance. The current open access Special Issue will compile original research and review articles focusing on natural products in drug discovery and development. It emphasizes new findings, methods, and technological advancements in this field. Notably, this Special Issue will provide open access to important works in areas such as herbal medicine and gut microbiota research, enhancing our understanding of natural products and potentially leading to the discovery and development of new drugs.
Dr. Chung-Hsin Wu
Prof. Dr. Szu-Chuan Shen
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
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Keywords
- natural products
- drug R&D
- herbal medicine
- gut microbiota
- mechanism of action
- therapeutic targets
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