The Application of Network Pharmacology in Natural Product Research

The conventional drug development paradigm has historically focused on identifying highly specific inhibitors of disease-associated targets. However, this approach has exhibited low success rates and substantial costs, often leading drug development into difficulties. The "single compound, single target" drug development model has inherent limitations. The structural foundation of human physiology lies in the intricate biological networks formed by molecular interactions. Diseases result from the disruption of dynamic equilibrium involving multiple genes, multifunctional proteins, and interrelated pathways. The molecular basis of these diseases is multidimensional. Network pharmacology analyzes the interconnections of drugs, targets, and diseases within biological networks. This is achieved by constructing various networks such as drug-target networks, molecular-molecular interaction networks, target-target networks, disease-disease networks, and drug-target-disease networks. Through these networks, it investigates the mechanisms of drug actions. Natural products exhibit a diversity of biological activities and structures. Over 100 drugs developed from natural products are applied clinically, especially in the fields of anticancer and anti-infective treatments.

22/07/2025