Journal: Mini-Reviews in Medicinal Chemistry
Guest editor(s):Dr. Marcello Iriti
Co-Guest Editor(s):

Introduction

According to the Convention on Biological Diversity, bioprospecting is the exploration of biodiversity and indigenous knowledge to develop commercially valuable products for pharmaceutical and other applications. Bioprospecting involves searching for useful organic compounds in plants, fungi, marine organisms, and microorganisms. Natural products traditionally constituted the primary source of more than 80% of herbal medicines and still occupy an important place in the drug discovery process today. No less important is the fact that the combination of natural products (extracts, isolated compounds or essential oils) with conventional medicines offers another field of application and should be pursued widely. Indeed, in addition to the use of natural products as lead compounds for drug discovery, these can be developed as adjuvant agents in combination with conventional anticancer and antimicrobial drugs to increase efficacy and/or reduce adverse effects. This novel therapeutic approach can chemosensitize chemoresistant cancer cells, fungal and bacterial strains via several mechanisms, such as inhibition of the cellular active efflux system, a conserved drug resistance mechanism that pumps xenobiotics out of the cell. Natural products can also be used as radiosensitizers in anticancer radiotherapy. Interestingly, the rationale of using natural products is based on their multitarget mechanisms of action, which is of particular interest in the treatment of diseases with a multistage pathogenesis. In this very broad context, we invite scholars to submit both original research and review articles exploring all these aspects, including preclinical studies (in vitro/in vivo) and in human studies (clinical trials, epidemiological studies, systematic reviews and meta-analyses) studies.

Keywords

ethnopharmacology, traditional medicine, biodiversity, bioactive phytochemicals, botanicals, nutraceuticals, phytotherapeutics, oral bioavailability

Sub-topics

⮚ Natural Products in Non-Communicable Diseases
⮚ Natural Products in Communicable Diseases
⮚ Antimicrobial Resistance
⮚ Anticancer Drug Resistance
⮚ Oral Bioavailability of Natural Products
⮚ Adverse Events and Safety of Natural Products
⮚ Evidence-Based Phytotherapy
⮚ One Health
⮚ Veterinary Phytotherapy