Recent advances in cell membrane-coated technology for drug discovery from natural products

Natural products and their derivatives are a rich source for drug discovery. Meanwhile, cell membrane has emerged as an effective tool to screen the active compounds from natural products. Recently, the cell membrane-coated technology has attracted increasing attention due to its unique biointerfacing abilities. This review focuses on the recent technological advances (2017–2021) in developing cell membrane-coated technologies as potential platforms for drug discovery from natural products. Furthermore, the molecular basis of membrane proteins and membrane lipids as drug targets are described. Particularly, four major strategies including cell membrane chromatography and cell membrane-coated magnetic materials are highlighted. Additionally, different functionalization methods for a better screening effect are discussed. Finally, the prospective in terms of subcellular membrane coating, novel coupled technology and stability improvement for high performance exploration are proposed. This review will provide deeper insights into the advanced design and application research of cell membrane-coated technology for drug discovery.