Enhancement of Natural Products in Plant in the Post-genomics Era: The New Era of Natural Drug Discovery

Natural products (NPs) remain an invaluable resource, serving as a promising pool for the discovery of structurally diverse scaffolds with various bioactivities. These can be directly developed or optimized into novel drugs. They have been extensively exploited in multiple sectors such as food, medicine, flavor, cosmetics, renewable fuel, and other industries. NP discovery has long been driven by the understanding that they are important and valuable agents, including pharmaceuticals, herbicides, insecticides, and more, affirming the role of natural products in the ongoing quest for health and wellness. However, the field of drug discovery from plants faces challenges due to the low quantities of bioactive NPs in natural medicines, necessitating the development of effective and selective methods for their extraction and isolation. Synthetic biology (SB) is an emerging discipline that is gradually reorienting the field of drug discovery. While pharmaceutical industries have often been deterred from NPs due to the difficulty in resynthesizing them, SB has recently emerged as a promising means for the cost-effective and sustainable production of NPs. In this light, plants are an underappreciated chassis for the production of these compounds, primarily due to challenges in plant engineering. Nonetheless, advancements in plant engineering knowledge are crucial for enabling the effective and efficient production of valuable phytochemicals, potentially paving the way for more sustainable future agriculture. The scientific and technological advances discussed in this review provide a solid foundation for NP-based drug discovery, ensuring that it continues to make significant contributions to human health and longevity.