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Traditional Australian Aboriginal Medicinal Plants: An Untapped Resource for Novel Therapeutic Compounds?

2013; Future Science Ltd; Volume: 5; Issue: 7 Linguagem: Inglês

10.4155/fmc.13.44

1756-8927

Cornelia Locher, Susan J. Semple, Bradley S. Simpson,

Seed and Plant Biochemistry

Future Medicinal ChemistryVol. 5, No. 7 EditorialFree AccessTraditional Australian Aboriginal medicinal plants: an untapped resource for novel therapeutic compounds?Cornelia Locher, Susan J Semple & Bradley S SimpsonCornelia Locher* Author for correspondencePharmacy Program, School of Medicine & Pharmacology, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, Western Australia, 6009, Australia. , Susan J SempleSchool of Pharmacy & Medical Sciences, University of South Australia, Adelaide, South Australia, 5000, Australia & Bradley S SimpsonFlinders Centre for Innovation in Cancer, Flinders University of South Australia, Bedford Park, South Australia, 5042, AustraliaPublished Online:8 May 2013https://doi.org/10.4155/fmc.13.44AboutSectionsPDF/EPUB ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints ShareShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail Keywords: Aboriginal medicineAustraliacollaborationintellectual propertypharmacopoeiatraditional knowledgeBeing one of the world's oldest surviving cultures, Australia's indigenous people have developed a profound connection with the land and implicit knowledge of the native flora and fauna. It is estimated that Australian Aboriginal people have occupied the Australian continent for between 40,000 and 50,000 years [1]. Utilization of plants as therapeutic agents and as interventions for general wellbeing has contributed to the longstanding survival of the Australian Aboriginal people. But despite being the heirs of the oldest continuing civilization on earth, there is a limited amount of written documentation on the traditional medicinal practices of Australia's indigenous people. Without a written language, detailed information regarding the various plant sources, correct collection times and methods, as well as their preparation, was mostly preserved through songs and dances. The reality today, however, is that this knowledge, which has been selectively passed down from one generation to the next as oral lore, is rapidly being lost.Over the past decades there has been a growing awareness for the urgency to formally record this medicinal lore amongst Australia's Aboriginal population. However, there is also a growing appreciation of this wealth of information among non-indigenous people, ethnopharmacologists, pharmacists, natural product chemists, botanists and anthropologists, which has resulted in various initiatives across all of Australia's states and territories to preserve this traditional knowledge. On the forefront of this movement was the Northern Territory, where, in the 1980s, as part of the Bicentennial Program, the Northern Territory government and the Commonwealth jointly funded the compilation of "Traditional Bush Medicines", an Aboriginal pharmacopoeia of the Northern Territory [2]. This publication attracted great interest on an international stage and, in the meantime, a second volume was produced next to many smaller-scale initiatives in the various Aboriginal communities across the territory. Reflecting a challenging intellectual property rights situation, more recent initiatives have begun to examine different levels of access to record traditional knowledge so that indigenous groups can protect information as well as having it recorded and preserved. Australia's other states and territories have also documented some of the local indigenous medicinal knowledge. Nonetheless, there is still considerable opportunity for initiatives that both preserve knowledge for future generations and unearth the immense potential of Australian Aboriginal plants as resources for novel therapeutic compounds.Australia is classified as one of the world's 17 mega-diverse countries, which, together, support nearly three quarters of the world's biodiversity, despite accounting for <10% of the total surface area. It is home to a large number of endemic species; 84% of its plants, for example, are found nowhere else in the world. In 2003, 15 Australian biodiversity hotspots were identified for the first time, which are characterized by large numbers of endemic species and also significant conservation pressures [201]. The sheer size of the Australian land mass (˜7.7 million km2) and its marine waters, which are home to only 22.3 million people (2010) and stretch from tropical regions in the north through a very arid interior to more temperate areas in the south [202], results in only very little anthropogenic activity in vast expanses. It can, therefore, be assumed that there are still large areas of geographical, climatic and biological diversity with scientifically untapped natural resources. Some of these might give rise to novel therapeutic lead compounds.A very good example of novel compounds discovered from Australian medicinal plants is through work conducted on species of the endemic genus Eremophila (Myoporaceae). Several Eremophila species are highly prized as traditional medicines for various ailments including respiratory infections, skin complaints and pain. These resinous, desert-loving plants have been the subject of a vast number of chemical investigations. They have been found to contain many unique and structurally diverse terpenoids, particularly sesquiterpenoids and diterpenoids [3]. One group known as serrulatanes contains a unique diterpenoid skeleton, which was unknown until phytochemical surveys, conducted in Australia during the latter half of the 20th century, revealed the nature of these phytochemicals. For several decades, the biological activity of these compounds remained unknown, until recently when it was discovered that they have cardioactive and antibacterial properties including activity against multidrug resistant Staphylococcus aureus[4–6].Traditional knowledge is a powerful asset. Traditional medicinal knowledge has been compiled from countless activities involving empirical observation, 'trial and error' by Indigenous peoples seeking resolution or cure from ailment and disease. This accumulated knowledge can be classified under the umbrella of indigenous intellectual property. In light of the known economic value pertaining to this wisdom, western law provides few avenues for acknowledging the legitimacy of and protecting such knowledge systems (including communal knowledge, indigenous law and the cultures it represents). This is a challenging issue to face for indigenous communities and the scientific researchers working with indigenous communities.Research into the western scientific properties of traditional Australian Aboriginal medicinal plants is largely carried out within the confines of academic research institutes, in some instances, deficient of indigenous engagement. A previous partnership between academia and 'Big Pharma' investigating Australian plant species failed to collect traditional knowledge regarding the species, as it did not fit within the scope of the disease categories of interest [7]. Another method is to use records published in books or alternative literature sources to help guide the research. Consequently, these research approaches do not result in collaboration or return of benefits to communities who might use or own the genetic resources studied. In Australia, only a handful of examples exist where research has involved direct engagement with indigenous communities, albeit at various degrees [8–11].Establishing collaborative research engagements with indigenous communities is not a trivial undertaking, with many issues including development of trust, benefit-sharing arrangements and indigenou-knowledge protection rising to the fore. We argue, however, that the potential rewards outweigh the complexities of the issues that arise from collaborative ventures. Often, appropriate timing of events and a higher level of patience and respect are required to address these.One approach to this type of collaboration is being conducted by researchers at the University of South Australia and Flinders University of South Australia (including authors Semple and Simpson) with Kuuku I'yu traditional owner families from Northern Kaanju homelands, Cape York Peninsula, Australia. This project is aimed at unlocking the medicinal potential from plants used by these traditional owners in a way that respects both western scientific and indigenous perspectives [12]. Uniquely, it was the indigenous traditional owners who first approached academic researchers about establishing the research collaboration. The project is embedded in the Natural Resources Management framework developed by community leaders, which, in part, describes how the natural resources on their traditional homelands may be managed, used and protected [Chuulangun Aboriginal Corporation, Unpublished Data]. Fundamental aspects of the research program are that the research is locally driven, and indigenous people are themselves researchers that manage and direct research on their homelands and about their medicinal plants. The long-term vision of this work is to increase opportunities for community members to remain on traditional homelands where they can contribute to sustainable business enterprises in the production of commercial plant-based (derived) medicinal products.A highlight of the work, to date, has been the detailed chemical and pharmacological investigation of a plant species used by particular Kuuku I'yu Dodonaea polyandra (traditional name Uncha). The chemistry and pharmacology of this species has not previously been investigated from a western scientific perspective. Kuuku I'yu traditional owners directed the research team to this plant owing to its traditional use as a highly prized medicine for relief of pain and inflammation in the mouth. Testing in a laboratory model of skin inflammation and subsequent activity-guided fractionation revealed novel benzoyl ester clerodane diterpenoid compounds with anti-inflammatory properties [13]. Very few clerodane diterpenoids have been demonstrated to have anti-inflammatory actions. The particular novel clerodanes provided a strong position to protect the project's intellectual property via the Patent Co-operation Treaty with the University of South Australia and Chuulangun Aboriginal Corporation as joint applicants [101]. With a formal commercialization agreement in place [University of South Australia, Chuulangun Aboriginal Corporation, ITEK Ventures Pty, Ltd, Unpublished Data], these compounds are now the focus of commercial initiatives aimed at developing topical medicines for the treatment of skin inflammatory disorders. This exemplifies the potential that exists within Australian Aboriginal medicinal plants and the opportunities for exploring these resources using appropriate models that benefit the custodians of indigenous knowledge.So, what does the future hold for traditional Australian medicinal plants research? There are two issues to be considered here. On the one hand, there is the preservation of valuable traditional medicinal lore and with it part of the Australian indigenous culture. Such initiatives, albeit often small, localized and with limited funding, are well and truly under way in many parts of the country as collaborative efforts between groups of enthusiastic and committed community elders, ethnobotanists, ethnopharmacologists and natural product chemists. On the other hand, the question can be raised, if these initiatives provide or even should provide a lead into the development of new therapeutic products considering some of the associated challenging issues such as intellectual property rights, questions of benefit sharing and potential exploitation of traditional knowledge. In this context, it is, therefore, much more difficult to predict what the future holds for Australian traditional medicine. The small number of pharmaceutical companies in Australia with a sizable R&D section and the financial means and willingness to invest in this type of research is certainly a major impediment. Community-driven projects such as the one between Kuuku I'yu traditional owner families from Cape York and the University of South Australia and Flinders University, might lead the way. It, no doubt, takes time and patience, and might not necessarily sit well in a commercial environment driven by shareholder expectations and the need for fast outcomes. However, when done properly with appropriate intellectual property protection and mutual benefits in mind, such an approach can in our view indeed lead the way for the discovery and further development of new therapeutic agents from Australia's rich and often unique flora and fauna based on traditional medicinal knowledge.Financial & competing interests disclosureSJ Semple and BS Simpson are inventors and co-applicants with the Chuulangun Aboriginal Corporation on the patent application WO/2011/057332. The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript. This includes employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, grants or patents received or pending, or royalties.No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.References1 Rasmussen M, Guo X, Wang Y et al. An Aboriginal Australian genome reveals separate human dispersals into Asia. Science334(6052),94–98 (2011).Crossref, Medline, CAS, Google Scholar2 Barr A. Aboriginal communities of the Northern Territory of Australia. In: Traditional Bush Medicines. An Aboriginal Pharmacopoeia. Greenhouse Publications, Darwin, Australia (1988).Google Scholar3 Ghisalberti EL. The chemistry of the unusual terpenoids from the genus Eremophila. Stud. Nat. Prod. 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The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript. This includes employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, grants or patents received or pending, or royalties.No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.PDF download