Natural substances in the treatment of cystic fibrosis

The research on the biological activity of natural products and biomaterials is becoming year by year more competitive and complex, and involves experts in different research fields, including chemists, biochemists, molecular biologists, immunologists and bioinformatics. While unfractionated natural products exhibit “per se” biological properties relevant for alternative therapeutic treatments of human diseases, the identification of lead compounds within these products, the characterization of molecular targets and studies of structurally-related molecules are key processes to develop novel therapeutic strategies. Cystic fibrosis is a genetic disease caused by mutations of the Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane Conductance Regulator (CFTR) gene. It is well established that three major fields of therapeutic intervention should be considered, targeting CFTR, bacterial infection and inflammation. In this review, we describe natural products reported to be very useful tools for correction of pathological conditions related to cystic fibrosis. The main topics are (a) CFTR potentiation and correction using natural products, (b) natural products as antibacterial agents and (c) natural products exhibiting anti-inflammatory activity. The recent issues of waste utilization and drug repurposing are also discussed in the context of the development of possible therapeutic approaches for cystic fibrosis.