medicinal-chemistry

Visitors also learn medicinal uses of therapeutic plants during immersive experience in the tranquil space.

Scientific Reports, Published online: 03 September 2026; doi:10.1038/s41598-026-69256-1 Potential drugs within a series of 3-phenylethyl-8-(R-phenyl)-7,8-dihydroimidazo[2,1- c ][1,2,4]triazin-4(6 H )-ones exhibit favourable toxicity profiles and thermal behaviours

Chalcones are important scaffolds in medicinal chemistry and functional materials, commonly synthesized via the Claisen–Schmidt condensation. In recent years, numerous methodologies have been proposed to improve the sustainability of this transformation, including solvent-free conditions, heterogeneous catalysis, alternative solvents, and process-intensification strategies. However, the lack of s…

Interviews with 29 healers and herbal practitioners in Batna documented 87 plant species, uncovered three first records for Algerian ethnobotany, and revealed previously unreported therapeutic applications for 56 taxa

Nature Chemistry, Published online: 28 August 2026; doi:10.1038/s41557-026-02234-2 Connor Delaney traces the chemical legacy of thalidomide, from the regulatory disaster of the 1960s to the first FDA approval of a PROTAC in 2026.

Researchers at Ritsumeikan University report a halogen-guided method for transforming accessible hydroxycoumarins into coumaranones, valuable heterocyclic structures in medicinal chemistry.

Berberine, palmatine, jatrorrhizine, and other protoberberine alkaloids (PBAs) from Huanglian exhibit potent antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and anticancer activities. Yet their structural complexity makes scalable production challenging.

Clinacanthus nutans: a member of the Acanthaceae family native to southern China and Southeast Asia, is a traditional medicinal plant widely used for the treatment of inflammation, viral infections, liver diseases, and metabolic disorders. Despite its long ethnomedicinal history, systematic scientific evaluation remains limited. Recent studies have identified more than 130 active metabolites, inc…

Creeping fig (Ficus pumila L.) is a traditional plant with both edible and medicinal value, and its achenes can spontaneously form gels at room temperature. As important bioactive macromolecules in creeping fig, polysaccharides have attracted increasing attention due to their biological activities and unique gelling properties. However, current studies on creeping fig polysaccharides remain scatt…

Phillyrin is a critical bioactive constituent of Forsythiae Fructus, exhibiting multiple pharmacological properties, but suffers from poor membrane permeability and low oral bioavailability. In this study, we developed a novel, green method employing whole-cell biocatalysts and natural deep eutectic solvents (NADESs) for the cinnamoylation of phillyrin to improve its liposolubility and bioactivit…

Scientists have long been fascinated by two promising classes of antibiotics that disable RNA polymerase (RNAP). They knew that these drugs could grind gene expression to a halt in several pathogens, including the bacterium behind tuberculosis, by binding to specific locations in the RNAP. But despite decades of study, a key question remained: what process […]

Metal complexes possess tuneable chemical and biological properties that make them promising candidates for anticancer and antibacterial therapies. They are increasingly explored as alternatives to conventional drugs, particularly in photodynamic therapy (PDT), where light activation induces reactive oxygen species for localised cytotoxicity. In this study, we present a direct-to-biology (D2B) ap…

Researchers, clinicians, students and industry professionals from across the country and around the world came to Hershey this summer for the 14th annual conference of the American Council for Medicinally Active Plants, hosted by Penn State College of Medicine.

Scientists have shown that plastic bottles could be converted into levodopa, an important Parkinson’s drug, with implications for both medicine and the environment.