: Assembled from acetate and malonate units via "assembly line" enzymes, producing complex structures like erythromycin.
Natural products are categorized into major classes based on their chemical structures and biosynthetic origins: Bioactive Natural Products: Chemistry and Biology
Bioactive natural products represent a diverse array of chemical scaffolds evolved over millions of years to perform specific biological functions. These compounds, primarily secondary metabolites, serve as a cornerstone for modern drug discovery, contributing to approximately 24% of all approved drugs. 1. Classification and Chemical Diversity : Assembled from acetate and malonate units via
: The largest group of natural products, built from five-carbon isoprene units. Examples include the antimalarial agent artemisinin. potentially revealing new chemotypes.
: Nitrogen-containing heterocyclic compounds often derived from amino acids. They frequently exhibit potent pharmacological effects, such as the analgesic properties of morphine.
: Polyphenolic compounds like curcumin and quercetin, known for their significant antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and cardioprotective properties.
: Modern research uses metagenomics and gene mining to uncover "silent" biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs) in microbes, potentially revealing new chemotypes.