Therapeutic potential of natural psychoactive drugs for central nervous system disorders: A perspective from polypharmacology. - GreenMedInfo Summary
Therapeutic potential of natural psychoactive drugs for central nervous system disorders: A perspective from polypharmacology.
Curr Med Chem. 2019 Dec 11. Epub 2019 Dec 11. PMID: 31830883
Genís Oña
In drug development, the creation of highly selective ligands has been unsuccessful for the treatment of central nervous system disorders. Multi-target ligands, from the polypharmacology paradigm, are being proposed as treatments for these complex disorders, since they offer enhanced efficacy and a strong safety profile. Natural products are the best examples of multi-target compounds, so they are of high interest within this paradigm. Additionally, recent research on psychoactive drugs of natural origin, such as ayahuasca and cannabis, has demonstrated promising therapeutic potential for the treatment of some psychiatric and neurological disorders. In this text, we describe how research on psychoactive drugs can be effectively combined with the polypharmacology paradigm, providing ayahuasca and cannabis research as examples. The advantages and disadvantages are also discussed.