Differential Biological Effects of a Single Natural Product Depending on the Site of Action

Abstract

Multidisciplinarity is highly prized by scientists; however, many decades of increasing specialisation has limited both the understanding and practice of divergent evaluation of natural products. The cause of divergence can be something as simple as the reaction pathways adopted by natural products. One example of this is the natural product sulforaphane. In one guise (as a dithiocarbamate), it can act as a pro-drug for the administration of hydrogen sulfide, while the parent compound could also, by reaction with a thiol moiety in the active site, inhibit the enzyme sortase A and prevent the formation of biofilms by Gram positive bacteria. In both cases, a potential clinical target could be the prevention of Alzheimer’s disease. While a number of uses have been found for natural products, these may not be related to the primary reasons for production of them by organisms and this is an important aspect of the ongoing search for a new chemical white space through the investigation of natural products.