Title

Pharmaceutical Crops: An Overview

Authors

Shiyou Li, Stephen F Austin State University, Arthur Temple College of Forestry and AgricultureFollow
Wei Yuan, Stephen F Austin State University, Arthur Temple College of Forestry and AgricultureFollow
Peiying Yang
Mikhail Antoun
Michael Balick
Gordon Cragg

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2010

Abstract

Pharmaceutical crops is an ambiguous term used by biologists and chemists for different categories of plants. We define pharmaceutical crops as those cultivated species that are used for extraction or preparation of therapeutic substances such as active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), excipients used in pharmaceutical formulations, vaccines and antibodies, as well as other therapeutic proteins. Based on the type of pharmaceutical product, these crops can be classified into three distinct yet sometimes overlapping categories: crops for the production of small therapeutic molecules (STMs), large therapeutic molecules (LMTs), or standard therapeutic extracts (STEs). This review briefly discusses the relationships of pharmaceutical crops with traditional food crops, medicinal plants, medicinal crops, and invasive species. It also addresses the importance, advantages, problems, and challenges of research and development of pharmaceutical crops.

This article references the plant specimen Nyssaceae, Camptotheca lowreyana, currently found in the lab of the National Center for Pharmaceutical Crops.

Comments

Li, S.; Yuan, W.; Yang, P.; Antoun, M.D.; Balick, M.J.; Cragg, G.M. Pharmaceutical crops: an overview. Pharmaceutical Crops, 2010, 1, 1-17

Pharmaceutical Crops

Repository Citation

Li, Shiyou; Yuan, Wei; Yang, Peiying; Antoun, Mikhail; Balick, Michael; and Cragg, Gordon, "Pharmaceutical Crops: An Overview" (2010). Faculty Publications. 4.
https://scholarworks.sfasu.edu/agriculture_facultypubs/4