Medicinal Botany and Drug Discovery

2.0 credits · Undergraduate

Plants have been a source of medicinal agents for thousands of years and a remarkable number of modern drugs have been isolated or derived from plants. In this course, we will explore the mechanisms of action and effects of injurious plants (e.g., poisons, causing allergic reactions), of medicinal plants found to have remedial properties, and discuss which body system(s) they affect (e.g., digestive, urinary), and psychoactive plants affecting the central nervous system (e.g., hallucinogens, stimulants). We will get familiar with the chemistry, pharmacology and efficacy demonstrated in clinical trials of the most used plant-derived drugs, and the mechanisms of the diseases targeted with these treatments. Furthermore, we will discuss the biosynthesis and distribution of plant secondary metabolites, the use of techniques in the isolation and structure elucidation of natural products, and of biological assays used in the discovery of chemicals with pharmacological activity, and the steps involved in drug production and approval.