Nature-Inspired Pathogen and Cancer Protein Covalent Inhibitors: From Plants and Other Natural Sources to Drug...

Area of Science:

• Medicinal Chemistry
• Natural Products Chemistry
• Drug Discovery

Background:

• Nature is a rich source of diverse bioactive compounds for therapeutic development.
• Covalent inhibitors, which form bonds with targets, show promise for selective and sustained activity.
• Nature-inspired covalent inhibitors are gaining attention for anti-infective and anticancer applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review natural covalent inhibitors from various sources (fungi, marine organisms, bacteria, plants).
• To elucidate the molecular mechanisms of action against pathogens and cancer targets.
• To discuss advancements in synthetic modification and optimization for drug development.

Main Methods:

• Literature review of natural products with covalent inhibitory activity.
• Analysis of molecular mechanisms and structure-activity relationships.
• Exploration of synthetic strategies and optimization approaches.

Main Results:

• Identification of key structural motifs enabling covalent interactions in natural compounds.
• Demonstration of efficacy against diverse pathogens and cancer cell lines.
• Highlighting the potential of natural scaffolds for targeted covalent inhibition.

Conclusions:

• Natural covalent inhibitors represent a promising foundation for novel anti-infective and anticancer therapeutics.
• Understanding their mechanisms and structural features is crucial for drug design.
• Further research can bridge natural product discovery with modern drug development pipelines.