Infectious diseases and natural products. What is next?

Infectious diseases caused by bacteria, viruses, parasites and fungi are results of complex interactions between the pathogen, host and the environment. The early discovery of quinine, followed by the antibiotics and more recently artemisinin has brought a new, realistic hope in the control of infections that once ravaged the humankind. However, the widespread use of these drugs and globalization has led to the development of multidrug-resistant pathogens worldwide. On the other hand, the pharmaceutical industry that previously relied extensively on natural products (NPs) as source of small molecules for anti-infective drug discovery and development has undergone a significant de-emphasis in NP research. The main research activity currently falls on to academia and requires novel approaches for tackling infectious diseases. This lecture will emphasize the opportunities and the challenges in this area and highlight new application forms and areas for natural products. Specific examples from our own research will be presented in order to point out the potential of vast variety of natural products derived from plants, marine organisms and other sources in both prophylaxis and the chemotherapy of infectious diseases caused by parasites (e.g. malaria, trypanosomiasis, leishmaniasis, schistosomiasis and river blindness) and (myco)bacteria (e.g. tuberculosis). Target determination, molecular properties (lipophilicity, permeability, drug-likeliness) and pharmacokinetic properties of some natural and natural product-derived synthetic leads will also be included.

Keywords: Infectious diseases, natural products, drug discovery, prophylaxis, chemotherapy