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Questions and Answers
What is the primary use of Penicillin?
What is the primary use of Penicillin?
Which natural product is derived from the bark of the Pacific yew tree?
Which natural product is derived from the bark of the Pacific yew tree?
What role do natural products play in the biodiscovery pipeline?
What role do natural products play in the biodiscovery pipeline?
Which of these natural products is obtained from a marine organism?
Which of these natural products is obtained from a marine organism?
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What is the significance of the Convention of Biological Diversity established in 1992?
What is the significance of the Convention of Biological Diversity established in 1992?
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Which natural product is historically known for use as an immunosuppressant?
Which natural product is historically known for use as an immunosuppressant?
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Which natural product was discovered through growing mold and is known for its antibiotic properties?
Which natural product was discovered through growing mold and is known for its antibiotic properties?
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What is a characteristic of specialized metabolites?
What is a characteristic of specialized metabolites?
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Study Notes
Natural Products: Examples and Uses
- Opium Alkaloids: Used by the Chinese 5,000 years ago, the oldest known pharmaceutical extracted from opium plants.
- Aspirin: Discovered in 1899 from willow bark, later synthesized from dyes.
- (Pseudo)ephedrine: First recorded use in 2700 BC, used to improve circulation and suppress coughs.
- Penicillin: Found growing on a mouldy cantaloupe, used to treat bacterial infections.
- Taxol: Extracted from the bark of Pacific yew, used to treat breast and ovarian cancers.
- Vincristine/Vinblastine: Native to flowers in Madagascar, used as a treatment for cancer.
- Podophyllotoxin: Found in the roots of the mayapple tree, used to treat cancer.
- Reserpine: Plant roots used to treat schizophrenia.
- Cyclosporin: Isolated from soil in Norway, acts as an immunosuppressant, making transplant surgeries possible.
- Prialt (Ciconotide): Derived from snail venom, used to kill fish rapidly, now used as an immunosuppressant.
- Yondelis (Trabectedin): Extracted from sea squirts, used as cancer treatment, specifically for soft tissue sarcoma.
- Halaven (Eribulin Mesylate): Originating from sponges, used as a strong growth inhibitor for cancer.
Using Natural Products in Industry
- Natural Products as Specialized Metabolites: Substances with unknown internal functions in the organisms they originate from.
- Privileged Structures: Natural products interact with receptors often targeted by pharmaceutical activity.
- Entropic Advantage: Natural products are more rigid due to fewer rotatable bonds, resulting in less entropic activity.
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Challenges of Using Natural Products for Hit Discovery:
- Extraction difficulties.
- Limited access to the source material.
- Variability in compound production.
- Intellectual property issues.
- Environmental concerns.
- Clinical Trials: Starting with naturally occurring, effective compounds reduces overall expense in development.
Practical Aspects
- Biodiscovery Pipeline: Challenges exist at every stage, from initial discovery to clinical trials.
- Loss of Biodiversity: Concerns about overuse of natural resources and their impact on biodiversity.
- Convention on Biological Diversity (1992): Establishes ethical and commercial guidelines for the use of natural products.
- Ethical and Commercial Considerations: Fair and equitable sharing of benefits, traditional knowledge, and sustainable utilization of resources.
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Description
Explore the fascinating world of natural products and their medicinal applications. This quiz covers a variety of substances, from opium alkaloids and aspirin to modern discoveries like Prialt. Test your knowledge on the historical and contemporary uses of these essential compounds.
