Abdur Rauf

By Abdur Rauf and Noor Jehan

Enzyme inhibitory agents are attractive because of their application in treating different ailments. The absence of enzymes produce a number of diseases. Medicinal plants are a rich source of producing secondary metabolites which showed broad-spectrum enzyme inhibitory potential. The position of enzyme inhibitors as new drugs is vast since these compounds have been used for the treatment of various physiological disorders. Bioactive secondary metabolites can deliver excellent pharmacophore patterns for drugs related to numerous illnesses. This book chapter is planned to document the enzyme inhibitory potential of natural compounds, medicinal plant extract, and its isolated compounds.

Part of the book: Enzyme Inhibitors and Activators

By Abdur Rauf, Noor Jehan, Zarka Ahmad and Mohammad S. Mubarak

Since ancient times, plants have always been a reliable and important source of bioactive compounds used to treat several diseases, and thus play a central role in human health. In addition, medicinal plants are a rich source of bioactive secondary metabolites that have a wide range of medicinal uses. This is the reason why, currently, 90% of drugs come from natural or semisynthetic origins. Chemical diversity of plants made them one of the main sources for the extraction and purification of secondary metabolites. On the other hand, pain has always been a cause of concern to humans who searched for a remedy from natural sources, mostly from plants. In this respect, substances that relieve pain (algesia) can be described as analgesics (painkillers). Chemically diverse structures have been identified as pain relievers; they relieve pain through various mechanisms and act either centrally (opioids receptor agonism) or peripherally. Therefore, this chapter is intended to summarize the literature pertaining to plants and their constituents discovered with analgesic potential in the last four decades.

Part of the book: Pain Relief

By Abdur Rauf, Yahya S. Al-Awthan, Naveed Muhammad, Muhammad Mukarram Shah, Saikat Mitra, Talha Bin Emran, Omar Bahattab and Mohammad S. Mubarak

Several plants in the genus Pistacia are used in the treatment of various pathogenic and non-pathogenic disorders. Especially important are the major species belonging to this genus such as Pistacia lentiscus, Pistacia atlantica, Pistacia vera, Pistacia terebinthus, and Pistacia khinjuk, among others; these have been reported for their potential benefits both in medical and commercial purposes. In addition, members of this genus exhibit numerous ethnomedicinal uses, such as analgesic, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, antimicrobial, antihypertension, antihyperlipidemic, antiviral, and antiasthma. In light of these potential uses, the present chapter aimed to collect and summarize the literature about all of this medicinal information. Accordingly, this chapter focuses on the pharmacological uses and benefits of the genus Pistacia, especially those related to health issues.

Part of the book: Natural Medicinal Plants

By Zubair Ahmad, Abdur Rauf, Saima Naz and Hassan A. Hemeg

This chapter delves into the concept of drug repurposing, which involves identifying new therapeutic applications for existing drugs. Drug repurposing offers a cost-effective and time-efficient approach to drug discovery by leveraging the knowledge and safety profiles of approved or investigational drugs. The chapter provides an overview of the principles and strategies employed in drug repurposing, including high-throughput screening, repurposing based on mechanistic insights, computational methods, and the increasing role of artificial intelligence in drug repurposing, as this is an emerging trend in the field. It explores successful case studies where repurposed drugs have shown promise in treating different diseases. Furthermore, the chapter discusses the challenges and opportunities associated with drug repurposing, including regulatory considerations and intellectual property issues. Overall, this chapter serves as a valuable resource for researchers and professionals in the field of drug development, emphasizing the potential of repurposing existing drugs to address unmet medical needs.

Part of the book: Drug Development and Safety