Natural products and drugs: A unique potential for medicine and pharmacy 

In summer 2022, you organized a conference on "Natural products and Drugs" at the University of Bayreuth, which was attended by numerous experts from Germany and abroad. What is meant by natural products in research?

Frank Hahn: Natural products are molecules that are formed by organisms such as bacteria, plants and fungi in order to provide them with a survival advantage. For example, they keep competing organisms in check. Humans can take advantage of this biological activity of natural products. A widely known example from the field of drugs are the penicillins. Fungi produce these natural substances to fight bacteria. In medicine, they have accordingly been used since the middle of the 20th century as antibiotics for the treatment of bacterial infections. Today, many small molecule drugs for the treatment of microbial infections and cancer have their origin in the field of natural products. The spectrum of possible applications also includes their use in the agricultural sector, as food additives or as fragrances.

Welches waren die hauptsächlichen Ergebnisse der Tagung hinsichtlich der Anwendungen von Naturstoffen in Medizin und Pharmazie? Gibt es dabei auch Verbindungen zur Lebensmittelforschung?

F.H.: The focus was primarily on the present and future of natural products in drug research. Despite the enormous success of these compounds so far, it is clear that a large part of their potential can still not be exploited today. Therefore, increased interdisciplinary efforts are needed to better understand mechanisms of action, to accelerate drug development processes and to develop more efficient ways of production. Special attention was also paid to the increasing antibiotic resistance of pathogens: many currently used drugs are losing their therapeutic value at least in part as a result. Research into natural products can make a crucial contribution to replenishing the arsenal of effective active ingredients.
In the field of food research, natural products formed by plants, the so-called "phytochemicals", are of great interest. They are an important component of a healthy diet. A better understanding of these compounds opens up new possibilities, for example, to produce food with higher nutritional value or to make cultivation methods more effective and sustainable.

In which areas will natural substances be able to make an even greater contribution to promoting a healthy lifestyle and combating widespread diseases in the future than they do today?

F.H.: In general, the potential of natural products for the development of small molecule drugs should also be mentioned here. The effects of naturally occurring biologically active substances in foods, for example the polyphenols, which are abundant in plants and which have anti-inflamatory and cancer-protective effects, also inspire the idea that prevention of certain diseases is possible to a certain extent by a targeted diet.

Should universities and non-university institutions cooperate more closely in innovative applications of natural products - not least with a view to the practical training of students and young scientists?

F.H.: Close cooperation across the boundaries of disciplines and institutions is more important than ever. Despite the undisputed potential of natural products, many pharmaceutical companies have turned to other drug concepts in recent years. This is due to the fact that drug development based on natural products is currently often considered to be economically risky. This withdrawal is at least partially compensated by the increased involvement of other players, such as universities and research centers, which is desired by research policy. However, greater involvement of industrial partners is, of course, still being sought. It would certainly increase the probability of successfully completing a larger number of drug development processes.

Could findings from natural product research also play a role in preventing or combating epidemics in the future?

F.H.: At present, the world is understandably fixated on the Corona pandemic, which is caused by a virus. However, due to the resistance problem mentioned earlier, diseases caused by microbial infections will come back into focus in the future. Due to the effectiveness of available antibiotics, it has unfortunately been somewhat forgotten that until a few decades ago these diseases were still seen as a scourge of mankind and caused an enormous disease burden worldwide. Small molecule drugs, especially those from the field of natural products, will continue to be essential for their effective control. Incidentally, this is likely to be true even in a world where mRNA vaccines and gene therapies are established options.

The German Chemical Society (GDCh) writes on its homepage: "Sustainable chemistry is the key discipline that will ensure the future viability of the industrial community. It is about sustainable contributions of chemistry to all areas of life." What can research and development in the field of natural products contribute to sustainable chemistry?

F.H.: The resource-saving production of natural products has always been a driver for the development of efficient methods in chemistry and biotechnology. These methods also find regular application in other areas of chemical and pharmaceutical chemistry. Furthermore, due to their natural origin, natural products have favorable properties. For example, they are characterized by better biodegradability, which makes them a more sustainable alternative compared to substances of non-natural origin.