Value Addition to African Natural Product-Based Drug Discovery Initiatives

IF 3.6 2区生物学 Q2 CHEMISTRY, MEDICINAL

Journal of Natural Products Pub Date : 2025-07-29 DOI:10.1021/acs.jnatprod.5c00446

Godfrey Mayoka*, Peter Mubanga Cheuka, Phanankosi Moyo, Godwin Akpeko Dziwornu and Denzil Beukes,

引用次数: 0

Abstract

Natural products are vital to drug discovery, yet Africa’s vast biodiversity remains underutilized. This perspective examines barriers limiting Africa’s impact─such as weak infrastructure, limited translational capacity, and minimal integration of medicinal chemistry. We advocate for advancing beyond basic extraction to include systematic isolation, pharmacokinetics studies, and semisynthetic derivatization. Emphasis is placed on integrating AI, cheminformatics, and biotransformation, alongside embedding drug discovery training into academic curricula. Strengthening regional networks, fostering interdisciplinary collaborations, and securing Africa-sensitive funding are essential. Strategic implementation of these actions will enable Africa to harness its natural resources for global drug discovery and address local health challenges.

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非洲基于天然产品的药物发现计划的增值。

天然产物对药物发现至关重要，但非洲巨大的生物多样性仍未得到充分利用。这一视角考察了限制非洲影响的障碍──如基础设施薄弱、翻译能力有限以及药物化学整合程度最低。我们提倡超越基本提取，包括系统分离、药代动力学研究和半合成衍生化。重点是整合人工智能、化学信息学和生物转化，同时将药物发现培训纳入学术课程。加强区域网络、促进跨学科合作和确保对非洲敏感的资金至关重要。战略性地实施这些行动将使非洲能够利用其自然资源进行全球药物发现并应对当地的卫生挑战。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Journal of Natural Products 生物-药学

CiteScore

9.10

自引率

5.90%

发文量

294

审稿时长

2.3 months

期刊介绍： The Journal of Natural Products invites and publishes papers that make substantial and scholarly contributions to the area of natural products research. Contributions may relate to the chemistry and/or biochemistry of naturally occurring compounds or the biology of living systems from which they are obtained. Specifically, there may be articles that describe secondary metabolites of microorganisms, including antibiotics and mycotoxins; physiologically active compounds from terrestrial and marine plants and animals; biochemical studies, including biosynthesis and microbiological transformations; fermentation and plant tissue culture; the isolation, structure elucidation, and chemical synthesis of novel compounds from nature; and the pharmacology of compounds of natural origin. When new compounds are reported, manuscripts describing their biological activity are much preferred. Specifically, there may be articles that describe secondary metabolites of microorganisms, including antibiotics and mycotoxins; physiologically active compounds from terrestrial and marine plants and animals; biochemical studies, including biosynthesis and microbiological transformations; fermentation and plant tissue culture; the isolation, structure elucidation, and chemical synthesis of novel compounds from nature; and the pharmacology of compounds of natural origin.