Adebola Busola Ojo

Plants have long served as prolific sources of bioactive compounds with significant pharmacological, nutraceutical, and industrial value. These metabolites, produced through intricate biosynthetic pathways, include diverse classes such as alkaloids, flavonoids, terpenoids, and phenolics, each offering therapeutic and functional properties. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the biosynthesis of plant-derived bioactive compounds, emphasizing the distinction between primary and secondary metabolism as well as the key enzymatic and genetic mechanisms involved. Current strategies to study and enhance metabolite production include metabolic engineering, CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing, plant tissue culture, elicitor treatments, and synthetic biology approaches. Despite the many technological advancements in this field, several challenges remain. Low yields of target metabolites, the complexity of metabolic pathways, environmental influences, and regulatory constraints continue to pose significant obstacles. Emerging solutions to these difficulties lie in the interdisciplinary integration of various scientific fields. By leveraging omics technologies, including genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics, researchers can gain deeper insights into the metabolic networks that govern compound production. Additionally, the incorporation of artificial intelligence can enhance data analysis and modeling of metabolic pathways, leading to more informed approaches to metabolite enhancement. Furthermore, adopting sustainable production models can help ensure that plant biosynthesis contributes positively to both health and the environment. Hence, this review highlights future directions in climate-resilient crop engineering, personalized medicine, and precision agriculture, underscoring the vast potential that lies within plant biosynthesis in addressing urgent global challenges related to health and sustainability. By continuing to explore and innovate in this area, we can unlock new opportunities for improving human health and fostering sustainable agricultural practices.

Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) continue to place a heavy burden on low- and middle-income countries. In these regions, drug development is often slow and expensive, and NTDs are rarely a priority due to limited financial incentives and complex science. This chapter looks at how combining drug repurposing and polypharmacology can offer faster and more affordable ways to discover treatments for NTDs. Using ideas from computational systems biology, we outline both a theoretical and practical approach to exploring lesser-known drug targets through multi-target strategies. We highlight modern computer-based tools, like network pharmacology, omics data analysis, and machine learning, that help identify new links between drugs and diseases in both humans and pathogens. We focus especially on in silico (computer-based) drug repurposing pipelines and how databases like DrugBank, ChEMBL, and SchistoDB can help match existing drugs to neglected diseases. Real-life examples, such as Miltefosine for leishmaniasis, the broad potential of Ivermectin, and using statins to treat schistosomiasis, show how targeting multiple disease pathways can be effective. The chapter also addresses challenges, such as gaps in our understanding of pathogens, drug delivery issues, and regulatory barriers, especially in settings with fewer resources. Looking ahead, we support moving toward more precise tropical medicine by combining genetic and biological data with AI tools, while keeping research ethically and inclusive of local communities. In summary, the chapter shows how drug repurposing can be a powerful and fair way to improve treatment options for neglected diseases.

This chapter looks at the growing importance of the environment in the process of making bioactive compounds useful in medicine. In the past, drug discovery often ignored the environment or saw it as unimportant. However, here, we suggest a new approach that considers both nonliving (abiotic) and living (biotic) environmental factors, such as climate, soil type, microbes, and ecosystems, when planning how to create these compounds. We introduce the idea of environmental fingerprinting, which involves identifying the unique environmental features that influence how and where certain bioactive compounds are produced. These features help scientists decide which compounds to focus on. By using advanced tools such as artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, and metabolomics, we show how environmental data can improve the search for new medicines by helping predict how well a compound will work and how active it will be in the body. The chapter shares real-life examples, such as desert plants that produce helpful chemicals during droughts and marine bacteria that produce antibiotics in saltwater. These examples show how environmental conditions affect both the variety and power of natural compounds. This new way of thinking could greatly improve how we find new drugs, especially by helping us discover compounds suited to specific environments. The chapter also discusses the challenges of combining environmental data with computer models, such as missing data, ethical concerns, and the need for scientists from different fields to work together. By shifting the paradigm of retrosynthesis toward an environment-driven approach, the chapter paves the way for more efficient and ecologically informed therapeutic innovation.

Plants have long served as prolific sources of bioactive compounds with significant pharmacological. Drug repurposing has emerged as a promising strategy in antidiabetic drug discovery. This approach involves identifying new therapeutic uses for existing FDA-approved drugs, offering several advantages, including reduced development time, lower costs, and established safety profiles. Diabetes mellitus, particularly type 2 diabetes, continues to pose significant global health challenges due to its increasing prevalence and the multifactorial nature of the disease, including insulin resistance, pancreatic β-cell dysfunction, and chronic inflammation. Although traditional drug discovery methods are time-consuming and costly, they make drug repurposing an attractive alternative. The repurposing process often begins with the computational screening of existing drug libraries through advanced methods such as molecular docking, network pharmacology, and machine learning. These tools help identify promising compounds that may interact with diabetes-related targets. Pharmacological profiling and in-depth mechanistic studies have been conducted to elucidate how these drugs may enhance insulin sensitivity, glucose regulation, and β-cell function. Clinical trials are important in translating preclinical findings into real-life therapeutic applications. Repurposed drugs for diabetes undergo clinical evaluations to confirm their safety and efficacy in managing high blood glucose levels and diabetes-related complications. Drugs such as metformin have been explored not only for the treatment of diabetes but also for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases and cancer due to their broader pharmacological effects. Similarly, GLP-1 agonists, originally designed for diabetes, have shown significant promise in obesity management, highlighting their potential to address multiple aspects of diabetes care. Furthermore, cardiovascular drugs such as SGLT2 inhibitors are attracting attention for their dual therapeutic benefits in managing diabetes and cardiovascular diseases simultaneously.

This abstract examines the complex interactions that occur between the metabolic processes linked to diabetes and the resulting changes in the genital and urinary tracts. Diabetes mellitus is a metabolic disease that affects several physiological systems, including the genital and urinary systems. Changes in the structure and function of the genitourinary system are a result of the complex network of biochemical pathways affected by diabetes. This thorough analysis explored the molecular pathways that connect diabetes to changes in renal function, urinary tract infections, and reproductive health. Comprehending these complex interactions is essential to the development of focused therapies aimed at reducing the negative effects of diabetes on the genital and urinary tracts and eventually enhancing the quality of life for those afflicted with this common metabolic disease.

This study explored the flavonoid-rich extract of beetroot ( Beta vulgaris L.) for type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D) and Alzheimer's disease (AD) dual therapy by using in vitro and molecular simulation studies.

This study aimed to examine the therapeutic activity of the cinnamic acid derivative KAD-7 (N′-(2,4-dichlorobenzylidene)-3-(4-methoxyphenyl) acrylohydrazide) on Fe²⁺-induced oxidative hepatic injury via experimental and computational models. In addition, the role of ATPase and ectonucleoside triphosphate diphosphohydrolase (ENTPDase) in the coordination of cellular signals is speculated upon to proffer suitable therapeutics for metabolic stress disorder upon their inhibition. While we know little about therapeutics with flexible dual inhibitors for these protein targets, this study was designed to screen KAD-7’s (N′-(2,4-dichlorobenzylidene)-3-(4-methoxyphenyl) acrylohydrazide) inhibitory potential for both protein targets. We induced oxidative hepatic damage via the incubation of hepatic tissue supernatant with 0.1 mM FeSO₄ for 30 min at 37 °C. We achieved the treatment by incubating the hepatic tissues with KAD-7 under the same conditions. The catalase (CAT), glutathione (GSH), malondialdehyde (MDA), ATPase, and ENTPDase activity were all measured in the tissues. We predicted how the drug candidate would work against ATPase and ENTPDase targets using molecular methods. When hepatic injury was induced, there was a significant decrease in the levels of the GSH, CAT, and ENTPDase (p < 0.05) activities. In contrast, we found a noticeable rise in the MDA levels and ATPase activity. KAD-7 therapy resulted in lower levels of these activities overall (p < 0.05), as compared to the control levels. We found the compound to have a strong affinity for ATPase (−7.1 kcal/mol) and ENTPDase (−7.4 kcal/mol), and a better chemical reactivity than quercetin. It also met all drug-likeness parameters. Our study shows that KAD-7 can protect the liver from damage caused by FeSO₄ by reducing oxidative stress and purinergic actions. Our studies indicate that KAD-7 could be developed as a therapeutic option since it can flexibly inhibit both ATPase and ENTPDase.

The use of herbal remedies for medicinal purposes is becoming more popular around the world. As a result, plants have become viable treatment options for a variety of diseases. Garcinia kola (bitter kola) is a perennially grown plant in the Guttiferae family that has been evaluated and reported to have numerous health-promoting properties. Kolaviron is a biflavanoid and major phytochemical found in Garcinia kola that includes Garcinia Biflavanoid-1 (GB-1), kolaflavanone, and Garcinia Biflavanoid-2 (GB-2). It is obtained as a fraction extracted from Garcinia kola. Kolaviron's pharmacological properties include anti-inflammatory, anti-spasmodic, ameliorative, anti-asthmatic, anti-cancer, anti-malarial, hepatoprotective, antioxidant, anti-atherogenic, neuroprotective, anti-diabetic, and anti-amnesic properties. Kolaviron is recommended for use in clinical settings because it has been shown to have a high therapeutic efficacy in clinical trials. The purpose of this review is to assess the therapeutic efficacy of kolaviron.

Conventional drugs, as means of alternative medicine, have been in use in the Asian and African nations and some developed countries for the treatment of ailments and cure of diseases. Objective: Puerarin, a naturally occurring isoflavone in numerous plants, is one of the conventional medication that possess anti-inflammatory and immunoregulatory properties for the treatment of cardiac illnesses, osteonecrosis, Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, and other circulatory conditions. Puerarin is extensively distributed in numerous organs including the kidney, mammary gland, femur, tibia, stomach, liver, pancreas, brain, and lungs, but at a low rate because of its poor availability. However, when co-administered with compounds like gastrodin that can convey it into the cell, it shows a wide range of pharmacological properties, including antioxidant, antidiabetic, antimicrobial, antiviral, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, anti-Alzheimer's, hepatoprotective, and neuroprotective activity. The biotransformation process of puerarin showed that it is well metabolized with daidzein, being the main hydrolyzed product. Puerarin is well tolerated in the body with a dosage of up to 250 mg/kg per day, does not initiate any toxic side effects but rather shows a wide range of beneficial and pharmacological properties.