Bioprospecting for Pharmaceuticals: An Overview and Vision for Future Access and Benefit Sharing

Cicka, Danielle; Quave, Cassandra L.

doi:10.1007/978-3-030-31269-5_2

Cited by 7 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 35 publications

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“…Plant chemical defenses might therefore also be effective against the pathogens of humans and other animals. Indeed, a substantial fraction of anti‐infective drugs approved in the last four decades are either derived from plant or microbial products, or inspired by them (Cicka & Quave, 2019; Harvey et al, 2015; Newman & Cragg, 2020; Porras et al, 2021). The increase in antibiotic resistant strains of pathogenic bacteria in particular, combined with new high‐throughput screening technologies, has renewed drug discovery efforts focused on plant products (Atanasov et al, 2021; Porras et al, 2021; Silva et al, 2016).…”

Section: The Behavioral Immune System Includes Constitutive and Induc...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Homo medicus: The transition to meat eating increased pathogen pressure and the use of pharmacological plants in Homo

Hagen

Blackwell

Lightner

et al. 2023

American Journal of Biological Anthropology

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The human lineage transitioned to a more carnivorous niche 2.6 mya and evolved a large body size and slower life history, which likely increased zoonotic pathogen pressure. Evidence for this increase includes increased zoonotic infections in modern hunter‐gatherers and bushmeat hunters, exceptionally low stomach pH compared to other primates, and divergence in immune‐related genes. These all point to change, and probably intensification, in the infectious disease environment of Homo compared to earlier hominins and other apes. At the same time, the brain, an organ in which immune responses are constrained, began to triple in size. We propose that the combination of increased zoonotic pathogen pressure and the challenges of defending a large brain and body from pathogens in a long‐lived mammal, selected for intensification of the plant‐based self‐medication strategies already in place in apes and other primates. In support, there is evidence of medicinal plant use by hominins in the middle Paleolithic, and all cultures today have sophisticated, plant‐based medical systems, add spices to food, and regularly consume psychoactive plant substances that are harmful to helminths and other pathogens. We propose that the computational challenges of discovering effective plant‐based treatments, the consequent ability to consume more energy‐rich animal foods, and the reduced reliance on energetically‐costly immune responses helped select for increased cognitive abilities and unique exchange relationships in Homo. In the story of human evolution, which has long emphasized hunting skills, medical skills had an equal role to play.

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Section: The Behavioral Immune System Includes Constitutive and Induc...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Homo medicus: The transition to meat eating increased pathogen pressure and the use of pharmacological plants in Homo

Hagen

Blackwell

Lightner

et al. 2023

American Journal of Biological Anthropology

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show abstract

“…Plant chemical defenses might therefore also be effective against the pathogens of humans and other animals. Indeed, a substantial fraction of anti-infective drugs approved in the last four decades are either derived from plant or microbial products, or inspired by them (Cicka & Quave, 2019;Harvey et al, 2015;Newman & Cragg, 2020;Porras et al, 2021). The increase in antibiotic resistant strains of pathogenic bacteria in particular, combined with new high-throughput screening technologies, has renewed drug discovery efforts focused on plant products (Atanasov et al, 2021;Porras et al, 2021;Silva et al, 2016).…”

Section: Local Flora As a "Pharmacy"mentioning

confidence: 99%

Homo medicus: The transition to meat eating, increased pathogen pressure, and the constitutive and inducible use of pharmacological plants in Homo

Hagen¹,

Blackwell²,

Lightner³

et al. 2021

Preprint

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The human lineage entered a more carnivorous niche 2.6 mya. A range of evidence indicates this increased zoonotic pathogen pressure. This evidence includes increased zoonotic infections modern hunter-gatherers and bushmeat hunters relative to others living in the same environments, exceptionally low stomach pH compared to other primates, human-specific downregulation in ANTXR2 that would have protected against increased exposure to zoonotic anthrax, exceptional human immune responses to LPS compared to other primates, and other divergent immune genes. These all point to change, and likely intensification, in the disease environment of Homo compared to earlier hominins and other apes. At the same time, the brain, an organ in which inflammatory immune responses are highly constrained, begins to increase, eventually tripling in size. We propose that the combination of increased zoonotic pathogen pressure and the challenges of defending a large brain and body from pathogens across what would eventually become the longest lifespan of any mammal, selected for intensification of the self-medication strategies already in place in apes and other primates, resulting in a variety of plant-based pathogen defenses. In support, there is evidence of medicinal plant use by hominins in the middle Paleolithic, and all cultures today have sophisticated, plant-based medical systems, incorporate plant components high in secondary compounds (spices) into food, and regularly consume psychoactive substances that are harmful to helminths and other pathogens in the CNS and other tissues. The computational challenges of discovering effective plant-based treatments, and the economic challenges of benefiting from costly-to- acquire medical knowledge that would be more often useful to others than oneself, were selection pressures for increased cognitive abilities and unique exchange relationships in Homo. In the story of human evolution, which has long featured hunters, shamans and healers had an equal role to play.

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“…Among research practices involving phytochemicals, bioprospecting has been widely studied and applied for years. This process is defined as a purposeful evaluation of wild biological materials, by applying advanced technologies, in an attempt to obtain new valuable products (Cicka, & Quave, 2019). Because of this method of investigation, several molecules, Research, Society and Development, v. 9, n. 8, e117985137, 2020 (CC BY 4.0) | ISSN 2525-3409 | DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.33448/rsd-v9i8.5137 4 of different chemical groups, have been discovered and isolated for utilization, as antioxidants (Altemimi, Lakhssassi, Baharlouei, Watson, & Lightfoot, 2017).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Bioguided isolation of compounds with antioxidant activity to improve the in vitro maturation of mammalian oocytes

Oliveira

Santos

Bertini

et al. 2020

RSD

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Bioactive compounds are characterized as secondary metabolites, derived from plants, that exert pharmacological and/or toxicological effects on humans and/or animals. In recent years, such compounds, particularly those exhibiting antioxidant activity, have been employed in the in vitro maturation (IVM) of oocytes from different mammals. Such an application is aimed at increasing the efficiency of in vitro embryo production by reducing the oxidative stress caused by in vitro conditions. This review objective is an overview of the processes of obtaining bioactives and their utilization in the IVM of oocytes by highlighting the different compounds and their roles in reducing the oxidative stress in mammalian oocytes. The review is focused on national and international journals, to gather the best information on the bioguided isolation of compounds that can be utilized in IVM. Generally, the path taken to achieve the final molecule with evident and reproducible activity involves the bioguided and bioprospecting assays with the extraction of the raw material and the studies of its chemical and biological activity. Thus, a series of compounds have already been utilized in cattle, sheep, pigs, and goats, with promising results, compared to those of synthetic antioxidants. The benefit of the bioguided studies, aided by the bioprospecting techniques, is unpredictable in the discovery of bioactive with potential action at the technological level of application. The optimization of these technologies is extremely beneficial to obtaining very evident and reliable results, thus increasing the reproductive success of the species through the large-scale application of the in vitro techniques.

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Bioprospecting for Pharmaceuticals: An Overview and Vision for Future Access and Benefit Sharing

Cited by 7 publications

References 35 publications

Homo medicus: The transition to meat eating increased pathogen pressure and the use of pharmacological plants in Homo

Homo medicus: The transition to meat eating increased pathogen pressure and the use of pharmacological plants in Homo

Homo medicus: The transition to meat eating, increased pathogen pressure, and the constitutive and inducible use of pharmacological plants in Homo

Bioguided isolation of compounds with antioxidant activity to improve the in vitro maturation of mammalian oocytes

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