Dr. Zjawiony’s main research interest is focused on natural products chemistry of biologically active constituents of psychoactive plants and fungi. The strong emphasis in current research is placed on discovery and development of new kappa-opioid ligands from hallucinogenic plants. Dr. Zjawiony’s research group is developing new derivatives and analogs of salvinorin A, the major active component of hallucinogenic plant Salvia divinorum. Salvinorin A is the first known non-alkaloidal kappa-opioid receptor agonist with potency equal to the synthetic hallucinogen, LSD. Chemical modifications of the structure of salvinorin A may provide new ligands to kappa-opioid receptor, especially new antagonists that may serve as models for the development of new drugs for CNS disorders.

Another project in progress is oriented toward the synthesis of aplysinopsin analogs as new agents interacting with serotonin receptors. This work originated from a natural product aplysinopsin isolated from marine sponges. Synthesis of new analogs of this natural product produces compounds with selective affinity to 5HT2A and 5HT2C subtypes of serotonin receptors responsible for controlling depression and obesity, respectively.

Additionally, Dr. Zjawiony’s research group is involved in the total synthesis of marine natural products with antidepressant activity and HIF-1 inhibitors from marine sponges. Current interest in studying metabolites from wood-decaying fungi and other polypores is focusing on isolation, structure elucidation and biological evaluation of natural products from these species.

Dr. Zjawiony is involved in several collaborative projects such as synthesis and biological evaluation of antimicrobial thiazole and imidazole derivatives (with Dr. Hesham Fahmy from State University of South Dakota), and steroidogenesis and neuroendocrinology of the skin and connective tissue (with Dr. Andrzej Slominski from University of Tennessee in Memphis).