Natural products Flashcards
1
Q
What are the origins of drug molecules (4)
A
- Plant-derived
- Sustainable biological sources
- Synthetic
- Semi-synthetic
2
Q
What are natural products (7)
A
- Plant-derived pure compounds
- Many used in modern, conventional medicine
- Sometimes produced synthetically
- Originally discovered from plant drugs
- Have medicinal effects on our body
- Source of inspiration
- Biologically active agents
3
Q
What are examples of natural products (5)
A
- Morphine, from opium poppy (Papaver somniferum), used as an analgesic
- Digoxin and other digitalis glycosides, from foxglove (Digitalis spp.), used to treat heart failure
- Taxol, from the Pacific yew (Taxus brevifolia), used as an anticancer treatment
- Quinine, from Cinchona bark, (Cinchona spp.), used in the treatment of malaria
- Caffeine, from the coffee shrub (Coffea arabica), used as a stimulant
4
Q
What are examples of natural opioid analgesics (3)
A
- Codeine
- Morphine
- Heroin
5
Q
What is the molecular weight range of natural products
A
100-2000
6
Q
What may the medicinal agents of natural products be (3)
A
- a natural product isolated straight from the producing organism, e.g. clavulanic acid from the bacterium Streptomyces clavuligerus
- a natural product that has undergone a minor chemical modification (semi-synthetic), e.g. aspirin derived from salicylic acid which occurs as esters in Salix spp (willow tree bark).
- a compound synthesised based on a natural product with biological activity (e.g. pethidine – based on morphine from the opium poppy).
7
Q
How is aspirin made from its natural product (3)
A
- Salicin
- Salicylic acid
- Acetylsalicylic acid (aspirin)
8
Q
What are semi-synthetic drugs (5)
A
- A major source of drug leads
- Alter the chemical structure of a natural product → analogue
- Paclitaxel, marketed as Taxol, for the treatment of ovarian and mammary cancers
- Initially isolated from Pacific yew tree bark (Taxus brevifolia)
- Highly functional and chiral natural product
9
Q
A
