Privileged natural product compound classes for anti-inflammatory drug development

Covering: up to early 2025Privileged compound classes of anti-inflammatory natural products are those where there are many reported members that possess anti-inflammatory properties. The identification of these classes is of particular relevance to drug discovery, as they could serve as valuable starting points in developing effective and safe anti-inflammatory agents. The privileged compound classes of natural products include the polyphenols, coumarins, labdane diterpenoids, sesquiterpene lactones, isoquinoline and indole alkaloids, each offering a variety of molecular scaffolds and functional groups that enable diverse interactions with biological targets. From a medicinal chemistry point of view, natural products are both a boon and a bane. The multi-targeting nature of natural products is a boon in the treatment of multi-factorial diseases such as inflammation, but promiscuity, poor potency and pharmacokinetic properties are significant hurdles that must be addressed to ensure these compounds can be effectively used as therapeutics. In addition, there are continued controversies regarding the efficacies of some of these natural products that will continue to polarise their use. In this review, examples of natural products of six privileged compound classes will be discussed for their potential use and possible further development as anti-inflammatory drugs.