Plant phenolics as drug leads -- what is missing?
Teresa Brodniewicz1, Grzegorz Grynkiewicz
1MTZ Clinical Research, Warszawa, Poland.
Acta Poloniae Pharmaceutica
|January 5, 2013
Summary
Plant phenolics, like catechins and resveratrol, show promise as drug leads due to their bioactivity. However, their transition to registered drugs faces hurdles, hindering development of high-value healthcare products.
Area of Science:
- Phytochemistry
- Medicinal Chemistry
- Pharmacology
Background:
- Low molecular weight plant phenols are semiochemicals with high chemical reactivity and biocompatibility.
- Plant phenolics represent a natural product library with privileged scaffolds, suitable for drug discovery.
- Despite health benefits, plant-derived phenols face challenges in clinical development.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore the potential of plant phenolics as lead compounds in medicinal chemistry.
- To investigate the reasons behind the slow progress of plant phenolics through clinical trials.
- To identify strategies for optimizing the transformation of plant phenolics into registered drugs.
Main Methods:
- Survey of structural diversity and known bioactivity of plant phenolics.
- Analysis of dietary significance and pharmacological records of selected compounds.
- Bio-chemo-informatic approaches for drug candidate identification and ADMET validation.
Main Results:
- Plant phenolics possess inherent properties making them attractive for drug development.
- Popular compounds like curcumin and resveratrol have well-recognized pharmacology but limited drug registration.
- Significant resources are currently wasted in the drug development pathway for these natural products.
Conclusions:
- Plant phenolics offer a rich source of potential drug candidates.
- Barriers exist in translating established health benefits of plant phenols into approved medicines.
- Reforming the drug development process for phytochemicals is crucial for sustainability and healthcare advancement.
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