Enzyme Inhibition as a Tool in Natural Products Research and Ethnopharmacology: Challenges, Advances and Recent Outcomes

Identifying enzyme inhibitors has always played a crucial role within the realm of natural product research and ethnopharmacology, serving as a key tool in high throughput screening and providing potent insights into a compound’s activity profile. This strategy is not merely confined to the laboratory—it is intimately tied to our broader understanding of human health and our ability to innovate novel therapeutic solutions to pressing health challenges.

Numerous compounds of natural origin have proven to exhibit significant enzyme inhibition properties, underscoring the enormous potential that nature holds for the development of new drugs. From the traditional practices of indigenous cultures to the high-tech laboratories of modern pharmacology, the pursuit of enzyme inhibitors in natural substances spans across times and cultures, contributing to a significant portion of today's pharmaceutical arsenal.

However, the data generated from enzyme inhibition studies in natural products are often preliminary. There's usually a need to augment these findings with further physiologically relevant experiments as a follow-up to ensure a more comprehensive understanding of the pharmacological effects, safety, and potential therapeutic applications/efficacy of these metabolites

This research topic aims to explore the exciting intersection of natural products research, ethnopharmacology, and enzyme inhibition, in order to understand the current opportunities and further research and development needs. We welcome original research articles, reviews and commentaries on this research topic, which may include but are not limited to:

• Separation and isolation of metabolites using enzyme inhibition as a tool.

• Enzyme inhibition of natural products and their derivatives.

• Investigations assessing the interactions between inhibitors and enzymes.

• Biological evaluation of natural products and their derivatives focusing on the use of enzyme inhibition as a tool.

Important Note:

All contributions to this Research Topic must follow the guideline listed in this section:
• The introduction must include a description of the topic’s background within an ethnopharmacological context and provide bibliographical references that illustrate the preparation’s application in traditional medicine or general healthcare.
• Research-baseded solely on in silico approaches (e.g., network studies or docking experiments) does not fit with the scopes of this SI.
• Small molecules exhibiting in silico or in vitro effects but without specific pharmacological targets do not fit with the scopes of this SI.
• Chemical anti-oxidant assays like the DPPH or ABTS assay are of no pharmacological relevance, Therefore they can only be used a chemical-analytical assays without pharmacological claims.
• Please self-assess your MS using the ConPhyMP tool, and follow the standards established in the ConPhyMP statement Front. Pharmacol. 13:953205.’ WITH ‘Please self-assess your MS using the ConPhyMP tool, and follow the standards established in the ConPhyMP statement Front. Pharmacol. 13:953205.
• All the manuscripts need to fully comply with the Four Pillars of Best Practice in Ethnopharmacology (you can freely download the full version here). Importantly, please ascertain that the ethnopharmacological context is clearly described (pillar 3d) and that the material investigated is characterized in detail (pillars 2 a and b).