Many clinically approved medicines are rooted in nature. The bark of willow trees, for example, contains salicin, which the human body converts into salicylic acid, long associated with pain and fever relief.
Research from William Chain, associate professor in the University of Delaware's Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, has now focused on molecules from guava plants. His team has developed a synthetic pathway to create these molecules, which are known to have potential against liver-related cancers, one of the leading causes of cancer deaths worldwide.
The study, published in Angewandte Chemie, describes the use of natural product total synthesis to build these molecules from widely available chemicals. According to Chain, this provides an accessible and low-cost method to produce large quantities. "The majority of clinically approved medicines are either made from a natural product or are based on one," he said. "But there aren't enough natural resources to make enough treatments. Now chemists will be able to take our manuscripts and basically follow our 'recipe' and they can make it themselves."
Liam O'Grady, a doctoral student in Chain's lab and first author of the article, added, "We are the first ones to pave that road, and other people can repave it any which way. Find the shortcuts if they have to. But since we entered into that unknown territory, I think we helped shed light on this unknown pathway that can get us there."
The potential applications come at a time when hepatocellular and bile duct cancers are increasing. Globally, one in 125 men and women is projected to be diagnosed with hepatocellular cancer during their lifetime. In the United States, liver cancer remains a multi-billion-dollar health burden, with five-year survival rates for late-stage cases under 15%. In 2025 alone, more than 42,000 people are expected to be diagnosed, with over 30,000 deaths projected.
The Delaware team is collaborating with the National Cancer Institute to evaluate next steps, including testing whether guava-derived molecules may also be effective against other forms of cancer.
Source: UDaily