Solanesol: a promising natural product.

Area of Science:

• Natural Product Chemistry
• Pharmacology
• Biochemistry

Background:

• Solanesol, a nonaprenol alcohol from the Solanaceae family, is a low-polarity, water-insoluble solid.
• Its structure, with nine non-conjugated double bonds, underpins significant biological activities.
• Solanesol exhibits polypharmacology, including antimicrobial, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and membrane-stabilizing effects.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the biological activities and therapeutic potential of solanesol.
• To identify current research limitations and suggest future directions for solanesol investigation.
• To explore solanesol's role in bridging natural products and precision medicine.

Main Methods:

• Review of recent scientific literature on solanesol.
• Analysis of solanesol's proposed mechanisms of action, including ROS suppression and cytokine inhibition.
• Evaluation of preclinical evidence for therapeutic applications in inflammatory and neurodegenerative diseases.

Main Results:

• Solanesol demonstrates significant antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties by suppressing reactive oxygen species (ROS) and pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-1β, TNF-α).
• Preclinical studies suggest therapeutic potential for periodontitis, neuropathic pain, Alzheimer's disease, and Parkinson's disease.
• Key research gaps include a lack of in vivo pharmacokinetic data, undefined molecular targets, and insufficient toxicity assessments.

Conclusions:

• Solanesol possesses natural safety and multi-target effects, making it a promising candidate for novel drug development.
• Future research should focus on target screening, nanotechnology-based delivery, and multi-omics analysis for clinical translation.
• Solanesol represents a potential link between natural products and precision medicine for next-generation biocompatible therapies.