Number: 2001-050-2-700
Title: Chemical, pharmacological aspects of natural products
with medicinal and nutritive value
Task Group
Chairman: Mukund
S. Chorghade
Members: Jasjit
S. Bindra, Joseph
F Borzelleca, Isaac
Bulka, John Cardellina,
Sajid Hussain, A.V.
Rama Rao, and B. N. Roy
Objective:
To comprehensively survey the chemical, pharmacological and toxicological
properties of numerous natural products with medicinal and nutritive
value.
Description:
The R&D thrust, in the pharmaceutical sector is focused on development
of new drugs, innovative/indigenous processes for known drugs and
development of plant based drugs through investigation of leads from
the traditional systems of medicine. Increasingly, non -traditional
systems of medicine such as ayurveda, yunani etc. are being increasingly
explored as a source for drug discovery. In addition, many nutraceuticals
are being consumed in an unregulated market for perceived benefits
in health care and improvement of quality of life.
Natural pharmaceuticals, nutraceuticals (herbal extracts) and cosmoceuticals
are of great importance as a reservoir of chemical diversity aimed
at new drug discovery and are explored for antimicrobial, cardiovascular,
immunosuppressive, and anticancer drugs. Around 80% of all such products
have a plant origin and sales based on these drugs exceeded $50 billion
in 1996. Examples of plant chemicals used in drug manufacturing by
the pharmaceutical industry include Paclitaxel, Vincristine, vinblastine,
artemisinin, camptothecin, podophyllotoxin, etc. The nutraceutical
marketplace in Europe is estimated to be $6 billion, while the US
marketplace, estimated to be $3 billion in 1996, is expanding at a
compounded rate of more than 20% per year. U.S. Congress has fueled
the rapid growth in the nutraceutical marketplace with the passage
of the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA) in 1994.
Under DSHEA, traditional herbal products can be marketed with structure/function
claims of efficacy without clinical trials and FDA regulatory approval.
We aspire to complete a comprehensive survey of products currently
in use. The properties of these materials will be evaluated and tabulated.
Progress:
March 2005 - A survey has been completed and the first draft prepared.
Last Update: 14 March 2005
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