Natural products and antimalarial drugs: Will Africa provide the next major breakthrough?

Ivan Addae-Mensah, Dorcas Osei-Safo

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapterpeer-review

1 Citation (Scopus)

Abstract

South America and Asia have given the world the two most successful antimalarial drugs of plant origin. Even though the African floral diversity has numerous plants that are reputed to have various medicinal properties, to date, not a single compound has been discovered in any African plant that has made it to clinical application in malaria chemotherapy. But Africa has the greatest malaria burden in the world. This chapter discusses previous and current efforts at developing some of these plants both as usable phytopharmaceuticals and as a source of potential lead compounds or structural scaffolds for antimalarial drug development. The chapter contends that the African flora has the potential to provide a breakthrough in the search for a new antimalarial drug that will match the success stories of Cinchona and Artemisia and that there is the need for a paradigm shift in our research efforts. While investigating as yet uninvestigated plant species, it would be worthwhile re-examining previous investigations for either malaria or other diseases including the neglected tropical diseases. Six plant genera are critically reviewed; the selected genera are Ancistrocladus, Triphyophyllum, Tabernaemontana, Zanthoxylum, Azadirachta and Cryptolepis. Some compound types from these plant species are discussed. Arguments in favour of revisiting some of the already investigated plants and re-evaluating their potential as sources of antimalarial drugs are advanced. It is argued that the wide gap between conventional phytochemical research and bioactivity assessment has resulted in the isolation and characterisation of a vast number of natural products which have never been tested for any biological activity or gone beyond preliminary laboratory assessments. This serious lag between chemical investigations and attempts to discover natural product lead compounds for further development should be narrowed, and this can only be achieved if researchers work as teams on the same project. This chapter concludes with prospects for the future and suggestions as to potential areas of focus. The advocacy role of the African Network for Drug and Diagnostics Innovation (ANDI) in promoting such research in Africa is underlined.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationDrug Discovery in Africa
Subtitle of host publicationImpacts of Genomics, Natural Products, Traditional Medicines, Insights into Medicinal Chemistry, and Technology Platforms in Pursuit of New Drugs
PublisherSpringer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
Pages379-406
Number of pages28
Volume9783642281754
ISBN (Electronic)9783642281754
ISBN (Print)3642281745, 9783642281747
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Aug 2013

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