Nature has produced many compounds that humans use to treat ailments. Chemists work to improve naturally occurring medicinal compounds by making subtle changes to their original structures. These analogues can help medical practitioners stay ahead of disease-causing organisms, which are constantly evolving to develop resistance to drugs such as antibiotics and anti-malarial medicines. Chemists can also make drug molecules that are easier to absorb, have fewer side effects and produce a longer-lasting effect than their naturally occurring counterparts. Many of the drug molecules mentioned in this article are listed in Table 1.
A natural product is a chemical compound produced by a living organism that has a pharmacological or biological activity. These molecules are used in pharmaceutical drug discovery and drug design. A product can be considered natural even if it has been prepared by total synthesis in a laboratory, as long as the molecule is structurally identical to that found in nature.
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