Breaking the Bottleneck in Anticancer Drug Development: Efficient Utilization of Synthetic Biology

Abstract

Natural products have multifarious bioactivities against bacteria, fungi, viruses, cancers and other diseases due to their diverse structures. Nearly 65% of anticancer drugs are natural products or their derivatives. Thus, natural products play significant roles in clinical cancer therapy. With the development of biosynthetic technologies, an increasing number of natural products have been discovered and developed as candidates for clinical cancer therapy. Here, we aim to summarize the anticancer natural products approved from 1950 to 2021 and discuss their molecular mechanisms. We also describe the available synthetic biology tools and highlight their applications in the development of natural products.

Isoxazole/Isoxazoline Skeleton in the Structural Modification of Natural Products: A Review

“…Natural products thus serve a crucial clinical role in the treatment of cancer. As biosynthetic technology has advanced, A growing number of natural products are being developed for cancer therapy as clinical candidates [ 25 ]. As a result, scientists have created several isoxazole and isoxazoline derivatives with anti-cancer properties based on natural products.…”

A review of typical biological activities of glycyrrhetinic acid and its derivatives

“…In particular, numerous compounds derived from natural products have already exhibited substantial therapeutic potential in the treatment of specic ailments. [1][2][3][4][5] Among these natural products, glycyrrhetinic acid is the triterpenoid aglycone constituent of glycyrrhizinic acid (Fig. 1), derived from the roots of the licorice plant (Glycyrrhiza glabra).…”

Extraction and Analysis of Chemical Compositions of Natural Products and Plants

“…Many drugs used in clinical settings are directly or indirectly derived from natural products, which have a long history. Especially noteworthy are natural products isolated from plants, such as morphine, artemisinin, paclitaxel quinine, atropine, etc., which play an important role in modern medicine [2][3][4][5]. Therefore, the study of extraction, separation and purification, and structural identification of natural products is of great significance for the discovery of lead compounds, the development of new drugs, and the advancement of applied chemistry.…”