Current Drug Discovery Technologies

Mother nature has blessed mankind with vast treasures of botanical wealth, endowed with infinite healing potential. For centuries, the recognition of the medicinal properties of plants had been limited to folklore and complementary medicine. The promulgation of herbal medicine has been largely propelled by the lacunae of synthetic drugs in addressing the medical needs of the people. Modern times have witnessed a dramatic increase in patients suffering from various lethal and debilitating disorders as well as infections. The adverse effects associated with the use of synthetic medicines and their limited antimicrobial potential, in view of emerging infections and microbial resistance, are matters of grave concern. The inquest of present day researchers towards safer and more effective treatment alternatives has revived their interest in herbal drugs and brought them into mainstream. Current Drug Discovery Technologies is dedicated to bringing forth the advancements that are taking place in the domain of drug discovery. The present issue entitled ‘Herbal Drugs: Expanding Horizons of Contemporary Therapeutics’ has been brought about with the objective of shedding light on the therapeutic properties of a various medicinal plants and their phytoconstituents, use of plant derived products in formulation development of biomedicals, technological advancements in the production of herbal drug products and the regulatory aspects concerning them. This thematic issue comprises of six articles by experts who have reviewed herbal drugs from the perspective of offering an enlarged field of solutions to satisfy current medical needs. Gallo and Bucalá have contributed a comprehensive article that discusses spray drying technology employed to produce dried medicinal plant extracts. The paper specifically focuses on the effect of different process parameters on the quality and yield of extracts, and will serve as a guide for researchers to reduce the time required for spray drying of extracts and economize the production process [1]. Sickle cell disease is a genetic condition characterized by a high degree of debility. It is endemic in Nigeria, and Alli and coworkers provided an insight into the herbal remedies used to ameliorate its symptoms. Also, they wrote an in-depth account on the limitations of these drugs, from the viewpoint of epigenetic interactions, to reactivate the gammaglobulin genes to strengthen the immune response in patients [2]. Essential oils are secondary plant metabolites obtained from aromatic flora, containing numerous phytoconstituents with many therapeutic probabilities. Sharma and colleagues wrote an elaborate review on the potential of citronella oil to circumvent as well as treat a myriad of diseases. The paper includes a section on novel drug delivery systems formulated with citronella oil and toxicity concerns pertaining to its use [3]. Panda and Kumari delved into the plant kingdom to present an overview of anti- ophidian properties of herbal medicinal agents. These agents are a safer alternative to treat snake bites, which are health concerns in many parts of the world. Phytochemicals with anti- ophidian properties can be explored to avoid the adverse effects of immunotherapy [4]. Plants have not only been a source of bioactives but also provided many compounds to aid formulation development. Chakraborty and co- authors came up with a detailed account on the physicochemical properties of native starch, due to which it has found application to serve as an excipient in design and development of advanced delivery systems, including nanoscale devices [5]. The expanding role of herbal drugs in contemporary medicine calls for robust regulatory framework. In light of the quality control difficulties and lack of data regarding their safety and efficacy, regulatory bodies around the globe must ensure strict legislative control on their marketing and utilization. The article by Bhat and colleagues makes an attempt to apprise the readers about the herbal drug regulations existing in some countries and the differences therein [6]. I hope that this thematic issue will enlighten the readers on some of the important aspects of herbal medicines and the realm of possibilities that these offer to the pharmaceutical scientists.