{"title":"Natural products in antiparasitic drug discovery: advances, opportunities and challenges.","authors":"Xiaofei Shang, Lixia Dai, Xinyuan Cao, Yudong Ma, Ilgekbayeva Gulnaz, Xiaolou Miao, Xiuhui Li, Xiaorong Yang","doi":"10.1039/d5np00007f","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Covering: up to 2024.Parasites infect hundreds of millions of people, result in significant disability rates and mortality and lead to devastating social and economic consequences, especially in developing countries and regions. Traditional medicines have been used for centuries to treat parasitic diseases. Some natural products (NPs) and their derivatives have been derived from these medicines and applied in clinical settings, attracting the attention of the scientific community throughout history. With the development and application of revolutionized technologies over the past few years, more promising compounds have been found from natural resources and provided new possibilities for the development of novel antiparasitic drugs. In this review, we aimed to discuss the strategies used for developing drugs from natural resources and mainly describe the causative pathogens, epidemiology and current treatment of parasitic diseases. Promising NPs and their derivatives are listed, and their effectiveness, potential mechanism and structural optimization are described. Subsequently, the advantages and limitations of the drug development process and the role of technologies in this process are discussed. A prospective analysis of research on and development of antiparasitic drugs based on NPs is presented. The high attrition rates, accessibility, sustainable supply, IP constraints and other problems still hinder the development of NPs; however, the therapeutic significance and broad clinical utilization of approved natural product-derived drugs, exemplified by quinine, artemisinin, and ivermectin in treating parasitic diseases, underscore that natural products remain a highly promising reservoir of chemical agents. Their exceptional structural diversity and marked bioactivities continue to stimulate scientific interest in novel antiparasitic drug discovery. In combination with the recent development and application of revolutionized technologies, NPs will provide a stronger basis for drug discovery and will continue to provide major contributions to human and veterinary health.</p>","PeriodicalId":94,"journal":{"name":"Natural Product Reports","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":10.2000,"publicationDate":"2025-06-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Natural Product Reports","FirstCategoryId":"92","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1039/d5np00007f","RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"BIOCHEMISTRY & MOLECULAR BIOLOGY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Covering: up to 2024.Parasites infect hundreds of millions of people, result in significant disability rates and mortality and lead to devastating social and economic consequences, especially in developing countries and regions. Traditional medicines have been used for centuries to treat parasitic diseases. Some natural products (NPs) and their derivatives have been derived from these medicines and applied in clinical settings, attracting the attention of the scientific community throughout history. With the development and application of revolutionized technologies over the past few years, more promising compounds have been found from natural resources and provided new possibilities for the development of novel antiparasitic drugs. In this review, we aimed to discuss the strategies used for developing drugs from natural resources and mainly describe the causative pathogens, epidemiology and current treatment of parasitic diseases. Promising NPs and their derivatives are listed, and their effectiveness, potential mechanism and structural optimization are described. Subsequently, the advantages and limitations of the drug development process and the role of technologies in this process are discussed. A prospective analysis of research on and development of antiparasitic drugs based on NPs is presented. The high attrition rates, accessibility, sustainable supply, IP constraints and other problems still hinder the development of NPs; however, the therapeutic significance and broad clinical utilization of approved natural product-derived drugs, exemplified by quinine, artemisinin, and ivermectin in treating parasitic diseases, underscore that natural products remain a highly promising reservoir of chemical agents. Their exceptional structural diversity and marked bioactivities continue to stimulate scientific interest in novel antiparasitic drug discovery. In combination with the recent development and application of revolutionized technologies, NPs will provide a stronger basis for drug discovery and will continue to provide major contributions to human and veterinary health.
期刊介绍：
Natural Product Reports (NPR) serves as a pivotal critical review journal propelling advancements in all facets of natural products research, encompassing isolation, structural and stereochemical determination, biosynthesis, biological activity, and synthesis.
With a broad scope, NPR extends its influence into the wider bioinorganic, bioorganic, and chemical biology communities. Covering areas such as enzymology, nucleic acids, genetics, chemical ecology, carbohydrates, primary and secondary metabolism, and analytical techniques, the journal provides insightful articles focusing on key developments shaping the field, rather than offering exhaustive overviews of all results.
NPR encourages authors to infuse their perspectives on developments, trends, and future directions, fostering a dynamic exchange of ideas within the natural products research community.
求助内容：
应助结果提醒方式：
京公网安备 11010802042870号
