Drugs based on natural compounds: recent achievements and future perspectives

摘要

In recent years, despite enormous efforts to develop new drugs by sophisticated approaches, there has also been a trend for rediscovery of natural products uses. In this context, new metabolites with unusual chemical structures and promising biological and pharmacological properties have inspired chemists in their synthetic approach searching for more potent and selective drugs. At the same time, the increasing awareness on prevention of common diseases such as atherosclerosis and cancer suggested an improvement of life style, including better diets by consumption of natural foods. These topics have been the focus of the Conference on Natural Products in Cancer Prevention and Therapy, 2nd Edition, a meeting hosted by the University of Naples "Federico II" on behalf of the Phytochemical Society of Europe.