The Chemical History of Morphine: An 8000-year Journey, from Resin to de-novo Synthesis

Brook, Karolina; Bennett, Jessica; Desai, Sukumar P.

doi:10.1016/j.janh.2017.02.001

Cited by 68 publications

(48 citation statements)

References 12 publications

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“…Since the beginning of the 19th century, in parallel with the development of the pharmaceutical industry, there was an impetus in the isolation of new compounds possessing a therapeutic or commercial potential. In 1805, morphine was isolated from the latex of opium poppies and went immediately into commercial production in Europe and the United States, where it soon reached widespread popularity as a pain relief medication [4]. After the discovery of morphine, many other compounds with therapeutic effects were isolated and purified from plants.…”

Section: The Integration Of Metabolomics and Next-generation Sequencimentioning

confidence: 99%

The Integration of Metabolomics and Next-Generation Sequencing Data to Elucidate the Pathways of Natural Product Metabolism in Medicinal Plants

et al. 2018

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Plants have always been used as medicines since ancient times to treat diseases. The knowledge around the active components of herbal preparations has remained nevertheless fragmentary: the biosynthetic pathways of many secondary metabolites of pharmacological importance have been clarified only in a few species, while the chemodiversity present in many medicinal plants has remained largely unexplored. Despite the advancements of synthetic biology for production of medicinal compounds in heterologous hosts, the native plant species are often the most reliable and economic source for their production. It thus becomes fundamental to investigate the metabolic composition of medicinal plants to characterize their natural metabolic diversity and to define the biosynthetic routes of important compounds to develop strategies to further increase their content. We present here a number of case studies for selected classes of secondary metabolites and we review their health benefits and the historical developments in their structural elucidation and characterization of biosynthetic genes. We cover the cases of benzoisoquinoline and monoterpenoid indole alkaloids, cannabinoids, caffeine, ginsenosides, withanolides, artemisinin, and taxol; we show how the "early" biochemical or the more recent integrative approaches-based on omics-analyses-have helped to elucidate their metabolic pathways and cellular compartmentation. We also summarize how the knowledge generated about their biosynthesis has been used to develop metabolic engineering strategies in heterologous and native hosts. We conclude that following the advent of novel, high-throughput and cost-effective analytical technologies, the secondary metabolism of medicinal plants can now be examined under the lens of systems biology.

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Section: The Integration Of Metabolomics and Next-generation Sequencimentioning

confidence: 99%

The Integration of Metabolomics and Next-Generation Sequencing Data to Elucidate the Pathways of Natural Product Metabolism in Medicinal Plants

et al. 2018

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“…Even now, many well‐known medications are derived from plants. For example, aspirin is derived from salicin, a compound found in the bark of the willow tree, while morphine comes from Papaver somniferum , more commonly known as opium poppy . Patients are still turning to botanicals and natural compounds as alternative treatment options, providing an impetus to advance and progress the scientific knowledge regarding botanically derived phytochemicals and compounds.…”

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confidence: 99%

Prospective, randomized, double‐blind assessment of topical bakuchiol and retinol for facial photoageing

et al. 2018

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“…From the very beginning, humanity has looked for means to control pain using several vegetal preparations [9][10][11][12][13]. The use of morphine for pain control can be dated in Mesopotamia back to the sixth millennium before Christ [14,15]. In the Roman times, it was commonly used [16], and Galen described the use of a morphine-based ointment for the treatment of a variety of medical conditions, including chronic pain [17].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Where We Come From and Are We Aware of Where We Are Going To?

Vanaclocha¹,

Saiz-Sapena²,

Ortiz-Criado³

et al. 2021

Chronic Pain - Physiopathology and Treatment

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Chronic pain is a pathological condition that requests specific medical attention. Its treatment has been imperative since the origin of our species, taking advantage of herbs and natural remedies available in the primitive environment. Morphine has stood the test of time as has been continuously used for the past 8 millennia. The anatomical knowledge of the nociceptive sensation pathways led to the introduction of some surgical techniques directed to stop this pain transmission. Due to their aggressiveness and to the fact that they are irreversible, these techniques were soon replaced by neurostimulation procedures. Being reversible and allowing a change in stimulation parameters soon became the preferred treatment strategy. Over the years a small subset of patients continues to suffer from chronic pain refractory to the usual neurostimulation and pain-controlling medications. These patients can perhaps benefit from one of the surgical ablative procedures. Some of these techniques have been proven particularly effective throughout the years. For some limited income patients in underdeveloped countries, these techniques may be their only accessible option. Doctors have to keep in mind these surgical techniques to put them at the service of our patients in the very few cases in which they are needed. Letting these ablative techniques to die in oblivion would be a disservice to our patients.

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The Chemical History of Morphine: An 8000-year Journey, from Resin to de-novo Synthesis

Cited by 68 publications

References 12 publications

The Integration of Metabolomics and Next-Generation Sequencing Data to Elucidate the Pathways of Natural Product Metabolism in Medicinal Plants

The Integration of Metabolomics and Next-Generation Sequencing Data to Elucidate the Pathways of Natural Product Metabolism in Medicinal Plants

Prospective, randomized, double‐blind assessment of topical bakuchiol and retinol for facial photoageing

Where We Come From and Are We Aware of Where We Are Going To?

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