Phytochemicals as Lead Compounds for New Drug Discovery presents complete coverage of the recent advances in the discovery of phytochemicals from medicinal plants as models to the development of new drugs and chemical entities. Functional bioactive compounds of plant origin have been an invaluable source for many human therapeutic drugs and have played a major role in the treatment of diseases around the world. These compounds possess enormous structural and chemical diversity and have led to many important discoveries. This book presents fundament concepts and factors affecting the choice for plant-based products, as well as recent advances in computer-aided drug discovery and FDA drug candidacy acceptance criteria. It also details the various bioactive lead compounds and molecular targets for a range of life-threatening diseases including cancer, diabetes, and neurodegenerative diseases. Written by a global team of experts, Phytochemicals as Lead Compounds for New Drug Discovery is an ideal resource for drug developers, phytochemists, plant biochemists, food and medicinal chemists, nutritionists and toxicologists, chemical ecologists, taxonomists, analytical chemists, and other researchers in those fields. It will also be very valuable to professors, students, and researchers in this domain. - Presents fundamental concepts and factors affecting choice for plant-based products - Details the FDA drug candidacy acceptance criteria, including bottlenecks and way forward - Highlights recent advances in computational-based drug discovery - Focuses on the discovery of new drugs and potential druggable targets for the treatment of chronic diseases of world importance

Natural bioactive compounds from medicinal plants are inexplicably diverse in chemical structure and biological properties. The unmet therapeutic requirements for various diseases serve as a guide for researchers to study natural compounds. These studies are intended to isolate, identify the structural characterization and eventually discover the pharmacological activity of natural compounds from their plant sources with the goal of treating specific diseases. Bioactive Phytochemicals: Drug Discovery to Product Development explores the scope and approaches of drug discovery from natural products. Chapters in the book cover information about the cultivation, collection and processing of medicinal plants, the methods and high throughput techniques for isolation and characterization of bioactive phytochemicals and pharmacological screening for activity, formulation and quality control. Information about the regulations specified for natural medicinal products in different region of the world is also presented, followed by a concluding chapter devoted to the role of natural herbal products for treatment of human diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, obesity, inflammation and neurological disorders. Each chapter concludes with a general reference section, which is a bibliographic guide to more advanced texts. The contributing authors for this volume are drawn from a rich blend of experts in various areas of herbal medicine which encompass herbal drug discovery to product development. The concise and organized layout along with a broad coverage of phytochemistry and drug discovery makes this book a suitable reference for students of medicinal chemistry, researchers and industry professionals interested in herbal product development.

Viral Proteases and Their Inhibitors provides a thorough examination of viral proteases from their molecular components, to therapeutic applications. As information on three dimensional structures and biological functions of these viral proteases become known, unexpected protein folds and unique mechanisms of proteolysis are realized. This book investigates how this facilitates the design and development of potent antiviral agents used against life-threatening viruses. Users will find descriptions of each virus that detail the structure and function of viral proteases, discuss the design and development of inhibitors, and analyze the structure-activity relationships of inhibitors. This book is ideal biochemists, virologists and those working on antiviral agents. Provides comprehensive, state-of-the-art coverage of virus infections, the virus lifecycle, and mechanisms of protease inhibition Analyzes structure-activity relationships of inhibitors of each viral protease Presents an in-depth view of the structure and function of viral proteases

This book summarizes state-of-the-art antiviral drug design and discovery approaches starting from natural products to de novo design, and provides a timely update on recently approved antiviral drugs and compounds in advanced clinical development. Special attention is paid to viral infections with a high impact on the world population or highly relevant from the public health perspective (HIV, hepatitis C, influenza virus, etc.). In these chapters, limitations associated with adverse effects and emergence of drug resistance are discussed in detail. In addition to classical antiviral strategies, chapters will be dedicated to discuss the non-classical drug development strategies to block viral infection, for instance, allosteric inhibitors, covalent antiviral agents, or antiviral compounds targeting protein–protein interactions. Finally, current prospects for producing broad-spectrum antiviral inhibitors will be also addressed. The book is distinctive in providing the most recent update in the rapidly evolving field of antiviral therapeutics. Authoritative reviews are written by international scientists well known for their contributions in their topics of research, which makes this book suitable for researchers not only within the antiviral research community but also attractive to a broad audience in the drug discovery field. This book covers molecular structures and biochemical mechanisms mediating the antiviral effects, while discussing various ligand design strategies, which include traditional medicinal chemistry, computational chemistry, and chemical biology approaches. The book provides a comprehensive review of antiviral drug discovery and development approaches, particularly focusing on current innovations and future trends.

Coronavirus Drug Discovery, Volume 1: SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) Prevention, Diagnosis, and Treatment is the first of three volumes presenting comprehensive information on drug discovery against COVID-19. This volume provides background information on the genesis of COVID-19, the epidemiology, transmission, pathogenesis, and mutagenesis. It also presents the various treatment options, drug discovery opportunities and vaccine developmental processes. Written by global team of experts from key institutions across the globe, this book is recommended to all concerned agencies, private research firms, and consortiums working on finding a solution to COVID-19 and its variants. By design, this book will be useful to drug developers, medicinal chemists, pharmacologists, health experts, researchers, students and faculty members in industry and academia. - Presents information on the genesis of COVID-19, global impact and collaborative efforts - Details the epidemiology, transmission, pathogenesis, and mutagenesis of SARS-CoV-2 - Documents the various treatment options and vaccine development for COVID-19

Phytochemistry, Computational Tools and Databases in Drug Discovery presents the state-of-the-art in computational methods and techniques for drug discovery studies from medicinal plants. Various tools and databases for virtual screening and characterization of plant bioactive compounds and their subsequent predictions on biological targets for the discovery of new drugs against specific diseases are presented, along with computational tools for the prediction of the toxic effects of phytochemicals on living systems. The book also provides in-depth insight on the applications of these computational tools as well as the databases that describe the interactions of phytochemicals with diseases along with predictions for druggable bioactive compounds. Useful for drug developers, medicinal chemists, toxicologists, phytochemists, plant biochemists and analytical chemists, this book clearly presents the various computational techniques, tools and databases for phytochemical research. - Provides the various databases, methods and procedures for computational drug discovery in plants - Includes insights into the predictors for properties of phytochemicals against different diseases - Discusses the applications of computational tools and their databases

This book describes the processes that are involved in the development of new drugs. The authors discuss the history, role of natural products and concept of receptor interactions with regard to the initial stages of drug discovery. In a single, highly readable volume, it outlines the basics of pharmacological screening, drug target identification, and genetics involved in early drug discovery. The final chapters introduce readers to stem therapeutics, pharmacokinetics, pharmacovigilance, and toxicological testing. Given its scope, the book will enable research scholars, professionals and young scientists to understand the key fundamentals of drug discovery, including stereochemistry, pharmacokinetics, clinical trials, statistics and toxicology.