KWARA STATE UNIVERSITY, MALETE

The Green University for Entrepreneurship and Community Development

FACULTY OF PURE AND APPLIED SCIENCES

DEPARTMENT OF BIOCHEMISTRY

NAME: Joshua Uwem ESSIEN

MATRICULATION NUMBER: 19/57BC/01009

COURSE CODE: BCH 403

COURSE TITLE: PLANT BIOCHEMISTRY

ASSIGNMENT

DISCUSS THE PROCESS OF DRUG DISCOVERY FROM PLANTS

The interest in natural product research has revived in recent years due to the failure of
alternative drug discovery methods to deliver many lead compounds in key therapeutic areas
such as antiinfective, immunosuppression, and metabolic diseases. Natural product research
continues to explore a range of lead structures, which may be used as templates for the
development of new drugs by the pharmaceutical industry

The process of drug discovery from plants involves several steps:

Identification and Selection of Plants: This involves identifying and collecting plants that are
believed to have medicinal properties. This can be done through traditional knowledge or
through scientific research, where plants are screened for specific biological activity.

Harvesting of the Plant Material: The next step is to harvest the plant material, which may
involve the collection of the leaves, stems, roots, or other parts of the plant that are rich in the
desired chemical compounds. The plant material is then dried and ground into powder, which is
used for further processing.

Extraction of Plant Material: Once a plant has been identified and collected, the next step is to
extract the biologically active compounds from the plant material. This can be done using a
variety of methods, such as solvent extraction or steam distillation.

Isolation and Purification of Compounds: The extracted plant material will contain a mixture
of various compounds, some of which may be biologically active. These compounds need to be
isolated and purified to obtain a pure sample. This can be done using a variety of methods, such
as chromatography or crystallization.

In Vitro Testing: Once a pure sample of a compound has been obtained, it can be tested in the
laboratory to determine its biological activity. This can be done using a variety of in vitro (test
tube) assays, such as enzyme inhibition assays or cell-based assays.

In Vivo Testing: If a compound shows promising biological activity in vitro, it can be tested in
animal models to determine its efficacy and potential side effects.

Clinical Trials: If a compound shows promising results in animal testing, it can be tested in
clinical trials in humans to determine its safety and effectiveness.

Approval and Marketing: If a compound is shown to be safe and effective in clinical trials, it
can be approved by regulatory agencies and marketed as a pharmaceutical drug.

NB: The process of drug discovery from plants involves strict quality control measures to ensure
that the final product is safe and effective for use in humans.