title: Action of natural products on p2 receptors:  a reinvented era for drug discovery.
abstract: Natural products contribute significantly to available drug therapies and have been a rich source for scientific investigation. In general, due to their low cost and traditional use in some cultures, they are an object of growing interest as alternatives to synthetic drugs. With several diseases such as cancer, and inflammatory and neuropathic diseases having been linked to the participation of purinergic (P2) receptors, there has been a flurry of investigations on ligands within natural products. Thirty-four different sources of these compounds have been found so far, that have shown either agonistic or antagonistic effects on P2 receptors. Of those, nine different plant sources demonstrated effects on P2X2, P2X3, P2X7, and possibly P2Y12 receptor subtypes. Microorganisms, which represent the largest group, with 26 different sources, showed effects on both receptor subtypes, ranging from P2X1 to P2X4 and P2X7, and P2Y1, P2Y2, P2Y4, and P2Y6. In addition, there were seventeen animal sources that affected P2X7 and P2Y1 and P2Y12 receptors. Natural products have provided some fascinating new mechanisms and sources to better understand the P2 receptor antagonism. Moreover, current investigations should clarify further pharmacological mechanisms in order to consider these products as potential new medicines.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Cellular Communication, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Brazil. robson.xavier@gmail.com
authors.forename: Robson
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Faria
authors.forename: Leonardo
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ferreira
authors.forename: Rômulo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bezerra
authors.forename: Valber
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Frutuoso
authors.forename: Luiz
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Alves
mesh_terms: D000700:Analgesics / Q000494:pharmacology; D000818:Animals; D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D001688:Biological Products / Q000494:pharmacology*; D055808:Drug Discovery; D006801:Humans; D058910:Purinergic P2 Receptor Agonists / Q000494:pharmacology*; D058919:Purinergic P2 Receptor Antagonists / Q000494:pharmacology*; D018048:Receptors, Purinergic P2 / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D000700:Analgesics; D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents; D001688:Biological Products; D058910:Purinergic P2 Receptor Agonists; D058919:Purinergic P2 Receptor Antagonists; D018048:Receptors, Purinergic P2