Essential Role of Natural Products In Drug Discovery and Chemical Biology

¹Dr. P. P. Patil, ²Mr. J. S. Sonawane and ¹Dr. D. V. Nagarale^*

¹VVM’s S. G. Patil Arts, Commerce and Science College, Sakri

² D. M. Patil Jr. College, Dahivel

Abstract:

Natural products (NPs) derived from plants, microbes, and marine organisms remain a vital source of structural diversity for drug discovery, particularly in treating cancer and infectious diseases. While historically significant, challenges in screening, isolation, and optimization previously caused a decline in their use by the pharmaceutical industry. Modern advances in computational chemistry, artificial intelligence, and genomics are revitalizing this field, facilitating the screening of new molecules and the optimization of lead structures. 

Introduction:

Natural materials with demonstrated biological activity are frequently used as central research points for the development of new pharmacological lead candidates. In order to get must pass a comprehensive test that calls for effective and extraordinary synthetic systems. entry to these convoluted and fundamentally different communities, scientific specialists An alluring component of early drug development is the use of small molecule libraries motivated by bioactive natural compounds, which plays a crucial role in the drug discovery process. In this case, the possibility of presenting unique organic action may increase as one moves from planar structures with a sp2-rich nature to all the more fundamentally complex libraries that have diverse sp3 focuses.

Newfound awareness of environmental concerns has also led to the reevaluation of several previous breakthroughs, compelling veteran scientists to develop cutting-edge “green” methods. These loops should save energy, reduce the need for primary inputs, and generate as little waste as possible.

Review of Natural products:

Datta, Avhad & Alpana, Asnani& Shrikant. Mohurle et. al (2020) Benzotriazole is a derivative of a heterocyclic ring with three nitrogen atoms in the first, second, and third positions. Each nitrogen atom can be found in a separate solitary pair. Due to its unique electron pair, a five-membered ring can exhibit tautomeric structures. Benzotriazole belongs to the class of interwoven heterocycles that consists of a benzene ring fused to a traizole ring. The medical relevance of benzotriazole and its derivatives cannot be overstated. Researchery will be able to improvise with the concepts and structure activity correlations they learn about in this article⁰¹.

Review of Natural products:

Campos, Kevin and Coleman, Paul and Alvarez, Juan and Dreher, Spencer and Garbaccio, et al. (2019)

Many ground-breaking medications that have benefited human health over the past century could not have been found without the discoveries in synthetic science that have occurred over the previous century. New scientific discoveries are what will propel the pharmaceutical industry forward in the face of growing threats to existing treatments. Not only can these synthetic procedures make previously inaccessible chemical matter available, but they also spark novel ideas for the design and production of chemical matter. In this paper, we identify the most significant recent advancements in synthetic science and situations at the interface with partner fields that are prepared to revolutionize the process of drug discovery and development⁰¹.

Yao, Zhu-Jun and Yu, Shouyun (2018)

One of the main motivating factors for physicists to develop new synthetic processes is the growing need for more efficient synthetic developments and sustainable cycles. It also includes recent attempts at the photochemically aided complete synthesis of natural compounds. The complete synthesis of natural products might benefit from visible-light-mediated oxidation. An appealing method for the creation of organic molecules is electrochemical synthesis. The criteria of green and monetary science are met by the synthetic advancements, which exhibit features like short reaction times, optimized screening times, reduced waste, enhanced safety, heightened intensity and simple scalability⁰².

Khayyat, Suzan and SelvaRoselin, L (2018)

Flowers, leaves, organic items, natural product rinds, seeds, stems, roots, barks, and resins are all potential sources for essential oils.

They are used as ingredients in perfumes, cosmetics, foods, beverages, medicines, and treatments for a wide range of health problems. Essential oils are complex mixtures of many different components, and their effects can be unexpected. Essential oils can be extracted using a number of different methods. Essential oils’ biological functions have been uncovered through a number of studies. However, the extracted oils are not the same as the activities of the same forces⁰³.

Michelin, Clément and Hoffmann, Norbert (2018)

Organic synthesis is aided by photocatalytic processes. Synthesis of complicated nitrogen-containing heterocycles via photooxygenation of furan derivatives has proven successful. When coupled with photoredox techniques, protein-catalyzed asymmetric oxidations are reorganized .Preparing physiologically active products requires the production of fluoroorganic molecules. Therefore,. the pharmaceutical sector has a strong interest in the photoredox catalytic trifluoromethylation of aromatic and, in particular, heteroaromatic molecules⁰⁵.

Campbell, Ian and Macdonald, Simon and Procopiou, Pan (2017)

 Synthetic and medical research, as well as drug discovery science, are depicted as they have evolved over the past few decades in the context of big pharma. Larger societal shifts, such as the proliferation of personal computers, the rise of the internet, and the spread of globalization, have been essential in shaping these. The next generation of medical researchers will share information using methods that are more akin to social media and the outcomes of constant association between people and data⁰⁶.

Jakub Trawiński, Robert Skibiński (2017)

Even in high-income countries, the use of psychotropic medications is rising⁰⁷. The substantial amount that is released into the climate is one of the most important consequences of this reality. Waterways, lakes, and oceans were found to contain detectable levels of atypical antipsychotics, benzodiazepines, and antidepressants, as well as their metabolites. Multiple investigations confirmed their environmental harm. It should be obvious that the combination of psychiatric drugs and radiation can result in the development of possibly more lethal intermediates, However, photo-assisted wastewater treatment methods are an effective strategy for getting rid of them for good. There have been several recent proposals and developments of photolysis and photocatalysis-based methods, but the problem remains unresolved. However, recent research suggests that photocatalysis, rather than ordinary photolysis, may be the most promising and practical option. A schematic outlining the use of several catalysts in photocatalytic, homogeneous, and heterogeneous degradation processes is presented. There was also discussion on how drugs react to light and how phototoxic they can be.

Shahnavi, Iqbal and Ahmed, Sofia and Anwar, Zubair and Sheraz, Muhammad et al. (2014)

 In the pharmaceutical sector, studying the photostability of pharmaceuticals and drug products is a standard quality control procedure. These tests are conducted to ensure that the prepared goods maintain their quality, efficacy, and safety throughout the manufacturing, storage, and application processes. The concept of photostability and its related features are discussed, as well as the relevant literature. Different strategies for the photodegradation of pharmaceuticals are presented alongside representative molecules. Biological effects of light’s effect on medication breakdown are shown⁰⁸.

Amara, Zacharias and Bellamy, Jessica and Horvath, Raphael and Miller, Samuel et al, (2015)

 However, the semi-synthetic synthesis of artemisinin incurs relatively large environmental and monetary costs given its importance as an antimalarial medication today. These expenses are driven mostly by the complex acid-and-photograph-catalyzed final chemical steps that involve oxygenation via both singlet and triple oxygen. We show that many of the problems with present photochemical cycles can be avoided by adopting novel tactics based on the concepts of green science. The primary method incorporates a powerful acid/photocatalyst that performs double duty and the use of fluid CO2 as a dissolvable. Next, dihydroartemisinic acid, oxygen, and light are used in an aqueous combination of organic solvents at room temperature to produce pure, crystalline artemisinin. The photocatalyst, aqueous acid, and solvents can all be recycled⁰⁸.

Yusuf, Mohamad and Solanki, Indu and Jain, Payal and Kumar, Rupesh (2014)

When light is absorbed, it causes a chain reaction in a chemical process called a photochemical reaction⁰⁹. Carbonyl grouping and a double bond in conjugation characterize the bichromophoric atoms that make up chromones, bischromones, and anthraquinones. These particles are formed via photochemical reactions of these substances and cannot be obtained in any other way.

Morsy, Nagy (2014)

Numerous plants are commonly used by indigenous people all around the world for their purported medicinal benefits. The effectiveness of different plants and plant components in fighting different diseases has been a major focus of scientifice investigation. It has always been difficult to identify, quantify, and extract the bioactive plant ingredients¹⁰.

Bochet, Christian (2014)

The goal of organic photochemistry is to use photons (light) instead of heat or other reactive chemicals to alter organic compounds. When a substance is excited, it enters a highly energetic and often lively condition from which it can either progress toward the ideal product or degrade without discrimination. We have come a long way in the last century in our ability to predict and regulate the outcomes of photochemical reactions, and to identify and develop families of highly specific photochemical reactions. This chapter covers a subset of these general classes of reactions, drawing on recent literature fe its discussion and providing specific, synthetically relevant examples¹¹.

Conclusion:

Photochemistry as a useful tool for the synthesis of natural and unnatural compounds Synthetic organic photochemistry has given an amazingly ground-breaking strategy to the change of straightforward substrates into more mind boggling products. Although great large scale industrial applications (for example, vitamin D synthesis) are being directed, the pharmaceutical industry has not generally embraced photochemical reactions in the routine synthesis of new drug substances. Specifically, several challenges associated with the performance of preparative photoreactions on large scale have been seen to be a significant issue to be fathomed before their routine application.

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[12:47 PM, 2/13/2026] Pooja Madam: 10. Yusuf Mohamad & Solanki, Indu& Jain, Payal& Kumar, Rupesh. (2014). Photochemical studies: Chromones, bischromones and anthraquinone derivatives.

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