Rethinking Natural Product Discovery: A Complex Epistemological Approach Linking Chemical Ecology and Pharmacognosy
Abstract
Global challenges such as health crises, biodiversity loss, and climate change demand a rethinking of natural product discovery. Despite advances in dereplication, metabolomics, and genomic sequencing, the epistemological foundations of this field remain underexplored. Inspired by Edgar Morin's complex thought, I propose a transdisciplinary framework that expands the concept of biocommunicators and redefines chemical prospecting as a macroconcept. Integrating chemical ecology and pharmacognosy through three interdependent dimensions─in silico, in vitro, and in vivo─this model promotes a sustainable and reflective transition toward complex paradigms in natural product research.
Fields of Study & Subjects
Metabolomics and Mass Spectrometry Studies
Biological and pharmacological studies of plants
Microbial Natural Products and Biosynthesis
Publication details
- Journal / source
- Journal of Natural Products
- Publisher
- American Chemical Society (ACS)
- Volume
- 89
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 816–831
- Publication date
- 19 February 2026
- Language
- EN