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Review
. 2021 Apr 29:9:650569.
doi: 10.3389/fchem.2021.650569. eCollection 2021.

Application of Amino Acids in the Structural Modification of Natural Products: A Review

Qian Xu  1 , Hao Deng  1 , Xiaoting Li  1   2 , Zhe-Shan Quan  1
Affiliations
Review

Application of Amino Acids in the Structural Modification of Natural Products: A Review

Qian Xu et al. Front Chem. .

Abstract

Natural products and their derivatives are important sources for drug discovery; however, they usually have poor solubility and low activity and require structural modification. Amino acids are highly soluble in water and have a wide range of activities. The introduction of amino acids into natural products is expected to improve the performance of these products and minimize their adverse effects. Therefore, this review summarizes the application of amino acids in the structural modification of natural products and provides a theoretical basis for the structural modification of natural products in the future. The articles were divided into six types based on the backbone structures of the natural products, and the related applications of amino acids in the structural modification of natural products were discussed in detail.

Keywords: amino acids; derivatives; natural products; research progress; structure modification.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Successful cases of natural product modification with amino acids.
Figure 2
Figure 2
(A) Cinnamic acid derivatives. (B) Coumarins amino acid derivatives.
Figure 3
Figure 3
(A) Lignans amino acid derivatives. (B) Shikonin amino acid derivatives.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Anthraquinones amino acid derivatives.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Flavonoids amino acid derivatives.
Figure 6
Figure 6
(A) Scutellarin amino acid derivatives. (B) Isoflavone amino acid derivatives.
Figure 7
Figure 7
(A) Chalcones amino acid derivatives. (B) Curcumin amino acid derivatives.
Figure 8
Figure 8
(A) Gambogic acid amino acid derivatives. (B) Sesquiterpenes amino acid derivative. (C) Diterpenes amino acid derivative.
Figure 9
Figure 9
Ginsenosides amino acid derivatives.
Figure 10
Figure 10
Betulinic acid derivatives.
Figure 11
Figure 11
Glycyrrhetinic acid derivatives.
Figure 12
Figure 12
Other triterpenoids derivatives.
Figure 13
Figure 13
Camptothecin derivatives.
Figure 14
Figure 14
Alkaloids amino acid derivatives.
Figure 15
Figure 15
Polyphenols amino acid derivatives.
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