Natural product

The anticancer drug paclitaxel is a natural product derived from the yew tree.[1]

A natural product is a natural compound or substance produced by a living organism—that is, found in nature.[2][3] In the broadest sense, natural products include any substance produced by life.[4][5] Natural products can also be prepared by chemical synthesis (both semisynthesis and total synthesis) and have played a central role in the development of the field of organic chemistry by providing challenging synthetic targets. The term natural product has also been extended for commercial purposes to refer to cosmetics, dietary supplements, and foods produced from natural sources without added artificial ingredients.[6]

Within the field of organic chemistry, the definition of natural products is usually restricted to organic compounds isolated from natural sources that are produced by the pathways of secondary metabolism.[7] Within the field of medicinal chemistry, the definition is often further restricted to secondary metabolites.[8][9] Secondary metabolites (or specialized metabolites) are not essential for survival, but nevertheless provide organisms that produce them an evolutionary advantage.[10] Many secondary metabolites are cytotoxic and have been selected and optimized through evolution for use as "chemical warfare" agents against prey, predators, and competing organisms.[11] Secondary or specialized metabolites are often unique to species, which is contrasted to primary metabolites which have broad use across kingdoms. Secondary metabolites are marked by chemical complexity which is why they are of such interest to chemists.

Natural sources may lead to basic research on potential bioactive components for commercial development as lead compounds in drug discovery.[12] Although natural products have inspired numerous drugs, drug development from natural sources has received declining attention in the 21st century by pharmaceutical companies, partly due to unreliable access and supply, intellectual property, cost, and profit concerns, seasonal or environmental variability of composition, and loss of sources due to rising extinction rates.[12]

  1. ^ Cutler S, Cutler HG (2000). Biologically Active Natural Products: Pharmaceuticals. CRC Press. p. 5. ISBN 978-0-8493-1887-0.
  2. ^ Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913). "Natural product". Free Online Dictionary and C. & G. Merriam Co. A chemical substance produced by a living organism; – a term used commonly in reference to chemical substances found in nature that have distinctive pharmacological effects. Such a substance is considered a natural product even if it can be prepared by total synthesis.
  3. ^ "All natural". Nature Chemical Biology. 3 (7): 351. July 2007. doi:10.1038/nchembio0707-351. PMID 17576412. The simplest definition for a natural product is a small molecule that is produced by a biological source.
  4. ^ Samuelson G (1999). Drugs of Natural Origin: A Textbook of Pharmacognosy. Taylor & Francis Ltd. ISBN 978-91-86274-81-8.
  5. ^ National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (13 July 2013). "Natural Products Research—Information for Researchers | NCCIH". U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. Natural products include a large and diverse group of substances from a variety of sources. They are produced by marine organisms, bacteria, fungi, and plants. The term encompasses complex extracts from these producers, but also the isolated compounds derived from those extracts. It also includes vitamins, minerals and probiotics.
  6. ^ "About Us". Natural Products Foundation. Retrieved 7 December 2013. Natural products are represented by a wide array of consumer goods that continue to grow in popularity each year. These products include natural and organic foods, dietary supplements, pet foods, health and beauty products, "green" cleaning supplies and more. Generally, natural products are considered those formulated without artificial ingredients and that are minimally processed.
  7. ^ Hanson JR (2003). Natural Products: the Secondary Metabolite. Cambridge: Royal Society of Chemistry. ISBN 0-85404-490-6. Natural products are organic compounds that are formed by living systems.
  8. ^ "Natural Products". Stedman's Medical Dictionary. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. Archived from the original on 3 August 2016. Retrieved 7 December 2013. Natural products: naturally occurring compounds that are end products of secondary metabolism; often, they are unique compounds for particular organisms or classes of organisms.
  9. ^ Williams DA, Lemke TL (2002). "Chapter 1: Natural Products". Foye's Principles of Medicinal Chemistry (5th ed.). Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams Wilkins. p. 25. ISBN 0-683-30737-1. Natural product: A single chemical compound that occurs naturally. This term is typically used to refer to an organic compound of limited distribution in nature (often called secondary metabolites).
  10. ^ Maplestone RA, Stone MJ, Williams DH (June 1992). "The evolutionary role of secondary metabolites—a review". Gene. 115 (1–2): 151–7. doi:10.1016/0378-1119(92)90553-2. PMID 1612430.
  11. ^ Hunter P (September 2008). "Harnessing Nature's wisdom. Turning to Nature for inspiration and avoiding her follies". EMBO Reports. 9 (9): 838–40. doi:10.1038/embor.2008.160. PMC 2529361. PMID 18762775.
  12. ^ a b Li JW, Vederas JC (July 2009). "Drug discovery and natural products: end of an era or an endless frontier?". Science. 325 (5937): 161–5. Bibcode:2009Sci...325..161L. doi:10.1126/science.1168243. PMID 19589993. S2CID 207777087.