Synthesis and Biological Properties of Natural Product Analogues
A special issue of Molecules (ISSN 1420-3049). This special issue belongs to the section "Natural Products Chemistry".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 July 2026 | Viewed by 14
Special Issue Editors
Interests: biosynthesis; enzyme catalysis; structural modification and mechanism of action of marine natural products
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Natural products (NPs) derived from plants, marine organisms, and fungi are pivotal to drug discovery—for instance, over two-thirds of all anticancer drugs are either directly derived from unmodified NPs or inspired by their pharmacophores, thanks to the diverse bioactivities of NPs. Yet, NPs often suffer from inherent limitations, such as poor solubility, high toxicity, low in vivo stability, or scarce natural availability, which hinder their direct translation into clinical therapeutics. Moreover, the increasing prevalence of multi-drug resistance and the emergence of new diseases demand novel NP-derived agents that outperform native compounds in terms of efficacy and safety.
Against this backdrop, the synthesis and biological evaluation of natural product analogues have emerged as a core strategy to address the limitations of NPs while leveraging their privileged scaffolds. This research focuses on three interconnected pillars: rational analogue design and synthesis; biological property profiling; and structure–activity relationship (SAR) elucidation.
This Special Issue, entitled “Synthesis and Biological Properties of Natural Product Analogues”, not only aims to resolve the practical challenges associated with native NPs but also seeks to accelerate the development of NP-based therapeutic agents. It aligns with the goal of advancing natural product-driven drug discovery and provides a robust approach to generating novel candidates for combating drug resistance and addressing unmet clinical needs. We invite contributions from diverse fields, including but not limited to pharmacology, medicinal chemistry, natural product chemistry, and biotechnology—all of which play a role in advancing natural product-based drug discovery.
We look forward to receiving your contributions.
Dr. Zhiran Ju
Dr. Lijian Ding
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
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Keywords
- natural product analogues
- synthesis
- biological evaluation
- structure–activity relationship (SAR)
- NP-based therapeutic agents
- pharmacophores
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