Preface

Natural products are often used in drug development due to their ability to provide unique and chemically diverse structures unmatched by any synthetic chemical collection. Medicinal Chemists have always been inspired by nature because natural products are often perceived as safer and for their capability to interact with biological targets. Indeed, in recent years, there has been emerging research on traditional herbal medicines based on their efficacy in the treatment of diseases for which they have been traditionally applied.

Conversely, natural compounds suffer from several issues such as scarce availability and seasonality, high differences in the production/extraction/isolation, low purity in commercial products from worldwide suppliers, and side effects. Moreover, due to their chemical complexity and the optional presence of different chiral centers, the total synthesis of a natural compound can be also challenging and expensive.

This book series would propose the latest discoveries in the field of compounds inspired by nature and obtained by chemical/enzymatic modification of a natural compound in the search for biologically active molecules for the treatment of human/animal ailments and permit the disposal of a wider arsenal for clinicians. The natural compounds are grouped into three clusters. The chapters are built in the following format: • General background on the (phyto)chemistry of the scaffold; • General background on the pharmacological profile of the scaffold; • Description of the proposed derivatives and their potentialities with respect to the parent compounds (with a particular emphasis on the synthetic approaches and structure-activity relationships); • In silico analysis of the crucial interactions with the biological target, when available; • Clinical studies and patent surveys (if available) on the new and proposed structures.

The readership of this book is represented primarily by Academies, Researchers, Specialists in the pharmaceutical field, Industry sector, Contract Research Organizations and hospitals dealing with clinical research.