Pharmacological Screening of Natural Products for Lung Diseases: A Comprehensive Review

Authors: Sanyogita Shahi, Anubhav Dubey, Rajesh Mishra, Sribatsa Lanchhana Dash, Kumara Swamy Samanthula

DOI: 10.18231/j.ijirm.12778.1957379553

Keywords: Natural Products, Pharmacological Screening, Lung Diseases, Quercetin, Curcumin, Bioavailability, Paclitaxel.

Abstract: Respiratory diseases like asthma, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), and lung cancer pose a significant global health burden, with existing treatments often limited by side effects, drug resistance, and high costs. This comprehensive review explores the potential of natural products as a rich and diverse source for novel therapeutic agents. It begins by outlining the pathophysiology and unmet medical needs for major lung diseases, followed by a discussion of the historical use of natural remedies in traditional medicine, which has provided a valuable starting point for modern drug discovery. The review details the methodologies of pharmacological screening, including collection, extraction, bioassay-guided fractionation, and the use of both in vitro and in vivo models. After analyse promising natural compounds like quercetin and curcumin for their anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities in asthma and COPD, and highlighting the anti-proliferative effects of agents such as paclitaxel in lung cancer. The discussion critically addresses the challenges facing this field, including issues of standardization, poor bioavailability, and regulatory hurdles. Finally, the review proposes future directions, such as exploring synergistic combinations, leveraging computational methods, and developing advanced delivery systems to overcome these limitations. This paper underscores the importance of continued research into natural products to develop more effective and sustainable therapies for lung diseases.