Recent advances in identification of potential drug targets and development of novel drugs in parasitic diseases: Part V: The value of natural products in drug discovery: Helminths

Document Type : Review Article

Author

Department of Medical Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, Suez Canal University, Ismailia, Egypt

Abstract

Almost all the current drugs used to treat neglected tropical diseases have some drawbacks including
cytotoxicity, limited availability, and the emergence of resistant strains. The clinical significance of a natural
product was recognized as a novel target against pathogens by identifying its mechanisms of action. Such
products are commonly used for treating severe parasitic diseases such as malaria, leishmaniasis, Chagas'
disease, schistosomiasis, and filariasis. A significant drawback of natural products is their limited supply.
However, sustainable production is possible by utilizing bioengineering technology to facilitate the
biosynthesis of derivatives with similar biological activities and discover new families of natural products by
cultivating bacteria, fungi, endophytes, and marine creatures. Advances in genetic engineering technology,
i.e., molecular farming, enabled investigators to focus on developing novel safe drugs from natural products.
This review aims to highlight recent advances in discovering novel drugs extracted from natural products of
herbal and marine sources for treating helminthic diseases.

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