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Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics · Research topic

Open research questions in Pharmacological Effects of Natural Compounds

142 gap statements mined from Pharmacological Effects of Natural Compounds papers in our 4.5M-paper local library, which holds 568 papers on the topic — drawn mostly from each paper's own stated research gap, future-work, challenge and limitation notes, and its abstract. The ones listed below are a selection still marked open; each names the study that raised it, with a DOI link where the paper has one.

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What the literature leaves open

  • There is a need for the development of therapeutic vaccines targeting HPV. Current surgical approaches for cervical cancer treatment have limitations. The use of nanoparticles as antigen carriers and adjuvants for DC vaccines is a relatively new area of research.

    Glycyrrhiza uralensis Polysaccharide Gold Nanoparticles as Antigen Carriers and Potential Adjuvant to DC Vaccines · 2025 · DOI

  • Current treatments for gastric ulcers have limitations due to potential adverse effects. Glycyrrhizic acid, a natural anti-inflammatory agent, has limitations in its therapeutic potential. There is a need for alternative therapeutic agents that can enhance gastric ulcer healing.

    Development of Glycyrrhizic Acid Nanoparticles for Modulating Gastric Ulcer Healing: A Comparative In Vivo Study Targeting Oxidative Stress and Inflammatory Pathways · 2025 · DOI

  • There is a lack of specific drugs for the clinical treatment of ulcerative colitis. The pathogenesis of UC is not fully understood, and the current medications primarily target achieving sustained symptom relief. There is a need for effective therapeutic agents from natural plants to treat UC.

    The Flavonoid Extract of Polygonum viviparum L. Alleviates Dextran Sulfate Sodium-Induced Ulcerative Colitis by Regulating Intestinal Flora Homeostasis and Uric Acid Levels Through Inhibition of PI3K/AKT/NF-κB/IL-17 Signaling Pathway · 2025 · DOI

  • The complex bidirectional relationship between PCOS and DM, particularly type 2 DM, is not fully understood. There is a need for alternative therapeutic approaches to mitigate oxidative stress, inflammation, and metabolic and hormonal imbalances in PCOS and DM.

    Therapeutic Potential of Lythrum salicaria L. Ethanol Extract in Experimental Rat Models of Streptozotocin-Induced Diabetes Mellitus and Letrozole-Induced Polycystic Ovary Syndrome · 2025 · DOI

  • The lack of efficient biotechnological methods for G. glabra cultivation and transformation. The need for optimized conditions for seed germination and hairy root induction. The gap in understanding the effects of light treatments on metabolite production in G. glabra hairy roots.

    Advancing Glycyrrhiza glabra L. Cultivation and Hairy Root Transformation and Elicitation for Future Metabolite Overexpression · 2025 · DOI

  • The current treatment, acyclovir (ACV), may lead to drug resistance. There is a need to explore alternative treatments, such as herbal extracts. The anti-HSV properties of KerraTM, KSTM, and MinozaTM are not well understood.

    Anti-Herpes Simplex Virus (Wild-Type and Drug-Resistant) Properties of Herbal KerraTM, KSTM, and MinozaTM · 2025 · DOI

  • There is a need to understand how beneficial microorganisms can mitigate drought stress and enhance plant growth.

    Synergistic Effects of Rhizophagus irregularis and Trichoderma harzianum Co-Inoculation on Enhancing Drought Tolerance and Secondary Metabolite Production in Licorice (Glycyrrhiza uralensis) · 2025 · DOI

  • There is a need for natural and sustainable alternatives to synthetic antibiotics in animal husbandry. The effects of residual black wolfberry fruit on sheep are not well understood. The optimal concentration of residual black wolfberry fruit supplementation for sheep is unknown.

    Residual Black Wolfberry Fruit Improves Meat Quality of Sheep by Enhancing Immune and Antioxidant Capacity · 2025 · DOI

  • While the growth-immunity trade-off has been extensively studied in plant biology, its existence, underlying immunometabolic mechanisms, and practical implications in animals remain poorly characterized.

    18β-glycyrrhetinic acid breaks the growth-immunity trade-off via selective suppression of adaptive immunity · 2026 · DOI

  • Further studies are needed to validate the mechanisms and therapeutic potential of the GA:Rutin complex. Additional analyses such as cytokine profiling, histopathology, or broader pharmacological tests should be performed. The use of advanced techniques such as NMR, MS, or XRD may provide further insights into the structures and properties of the complexes.

    Preparation and Biological Activity of Molecular Complexes Based on Secondary Metabolites of Glycyrrhiza Glabra L. and Sophora Japonica L. · 2026 · DOI

  • The study identifies a gap in the systematic review of the bioactivities and active components of Chenopodium album L. The study identifies a need for further research on the extraction methods of active ingredients from Chenopodium album L.

    Research progress on the bioactivities and active ingredients of Chenopodium album L. based on CiteSpace · 2026 · DOI

  • The need to balance run-time against docking-score reproducibility in molecular docking studies.

    Cytotoxic and Anti-Inflammatory Evaluation of Thai Medicinal Plants from Kampramong’s Anticancer Remedy Against Upper Respiratory Tract Malignancies · 2026 · DOI

  • Future research should focus on elucidating how phytochemicals modulate SASP heterogeneity and exploring synergistic combinations with dietary interventions.

    Anti-inflammatory phytochemicals from medicinal herbs based on senoinflammation schema for healthy aging · 2026 · DOI

  • Random-forest variable rankings and PLS-PM-derived associations should be validated using independent datasets, long-term field trials and multi-omics analyses.

    Effects of drought stress on growth, physiology and bioactive compound accumulation in licorice (Glycyrrhiza spp.): a meta-analysis-based integrated evaluation · 2026 · DOI

  • The efficacy of Glycyrrhiza glabra in mitigating AD-associated pathological conditions remains poorly understood. There is a need for alternative medicinal approaches with potent neuroprotective efficacy and minimal side effects. The study aims to address this gap by investigating the neuroprotective properties of G. glabra root extract.

    Glycyrrhiza glabra exhibits disease-modifying effects in Alzheimer’s disease through restoration of mitochondrial function, synaptic plasticity, and kinase signaling · 2026 · DOI

  • Combination therapies that could lower statin dosages and reduce adverse effects.

    The Potential Therapeutic Applications of Natural Products in the Oxidative Stress-Related MVA Pathway: Focus on HMGCR · 2025 · DOI

  • Limited in vivo data on natural HMGCR modulators. Regulatory issues and variability in composition of natural products. Potential drug interactions and safety concerns.

    The Potential Therapeutic Applications of Natural Products in the Oxidative Stress-Related MVA Pathway: Focus on HMGCR · 2025 · DOI

  • The study aims to investigate the effects of Glabridin on lipoteichoic acid-induced proinflammatory signaling in macrophages, which is a crucial aspect of inflammation. The research seeks to understand how Glabridin modulates the MAPKs-IL-1β-iNOS axis in macrophages.

    Glabridin Suppresses Macrophage Activation by Lipoteichoic Acid In Vitro: The Crucial Role of MAPKs-IL-1β-iNOS Axis Signals in Peritoneal and Alveolar Macrophages · 2025 · DOI

  • Investigate the long-term effects of GLY-NPs on gastric ulcer healing, - Evaluate the efficacy of GLY-NPs in combination with other therapeutic agents, - Conduct clinical trials to assess the safety and efficacy of GLY-NPs…

    Development of Glycyrrhizic Acid Nanoparticles for Modulating Gastric Ulcer Healing: A Comparative In Vivo Study Targeting Oxidative Stress and Inflammatory Pathways · 2025 · DOI

  • Further studies on the effects of GBD on other macrophage subtypes, - Investigation of GBD's therapeutic potential in inflammatory…

    Glabridin Suppresses Macrophage Activation by Lipoteichoic Acid In Vitro: The Crucial Role of MAPKs-IL-1β-iNOS Axis Signals in Peritoneal and Alveolar Macrophages · 2025 · DOI

  • The complexity of antibiotic resistance and the need for new therapeutic targets - The challenge of characterizing the inhibition mechanism of natural products - The difficulty of evaluating the biological activity of compounds against…

    Characterization of Natural Products as Inhibitors of Shikimate Dehydrogenase from Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus: Kinetic and Molecular Dynamics Simulations, and Biological Activity Studies · 2025 · DOI

  • Further characterization of phloridzin, rutin, and caffeic acid as inhibitors of SaSDH - Exploration of other natural products as potential inhibitors of SaSDH - In vivo studies to determine the efficacy of these compounds against…

    Characterization of Natural Products as Inhibitors of Shikimate Dehydrogenase from Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus: Kinetic and Molecular Dynamics Simulations, and Biological Activity Studies · 2025 · DOI

  • The need for novel broad-spectrum anti-influenza therapeutics due to emerging antiviral resistance - The lack of effective treatments against diverse influenza viruses - The importance of identifying new compounds with potent antiviral…

    Licoflavone B Suppresses Influenza A Virus by Targeting the Viral RNA-Dependent RNA Polymerase (RdRp) · 2025 · DOI

  • Both triterpenoids, GLY and GA represent together a multi-target antimicrobial platform that integrates three critical dimensions of infection control: direct antimicrobial activity, biofilm disruption, and host immune modulation (Figure 5).

    Glycyrrhizin (GLY) and glycyrrhetinic acid (GA) as potential multi-target antimicrobials: mechanisms, biofilm disruption, and synergy against drug-resistant pathogens · 2026 · DOI

  • Additivity versus synergy cannot be concluded from these data alone, - The study did not evaluate the effects of the plant extracts on other types of cancer, - The study used a limited number of cell lines, - The study did not investigate the toxicity of the plant extracts…

    Cytotoxic and Anti-Inflammatory Evaluation of Thai Medicinal Plants from Kampramong’s Anticancer Remedy Against Upper Respiratory Tract Malignancies · 2026 · DOI

Most-cited papers in Pharmacological Effects of Natural Compounds

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Open questions raised by papers listed on this page include: (1) Further studies are needed to validate the mechanisms and therapeutic potential of the GA:Rutin complex (“Preparation and Biological Activity of Molecular Complexes Based on Secondary…”, 2026); (2) Future research should focus on elucidating how phytochemicals modulate SASP heterogeneity and exploring synergistic combinations with dietary interventions (“Anti-inflammatory phytochemicals from medicinal herbs based on senoinflammation…”, 2026); (3) The efficacy of Glycyrrhiza glabra in mitigating AD-associated pathological conditions remains poorly understood (“Glycyrrhiza glabra exhibits disease-modifying effects in Alzheimer’s disease…”, 2026); (4) There is a need for the development of therapeutic vaccines targeting HPV (“Glycyrrhiza uralensis Polysaccharide Gold Nanoparticles as Antigen Carriers and…”, 2025); (5) There is a need for alternative therapeutic agents that can enhance gastric ulcer healing (“Development of Glycyrrhizic Acid Nanoparticles for Modulating Gastric Ulcer…”, 2025). 142 gap statements have been mined from Pharmacological Effects of Natural Compounds papers in our 4.5M-paper local library, which holds 568 papers on the topic; the gaps come from whichever of those papers state one. They are mostly the research gaps the authors state and the papers' abstracts, plus future-work, limitations and challenges passages. The ones listed below are a selection still marked open; each names the study that raised it, with a DOI link where the paper has one, so you can read the original claim in context.

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