Anti Salvinorin A mAb (Clone IC1)

Within the fields of molecular biology and pharmacology, a small molecule is a low molecular weight (< 900 daltons) organic compound that may regulate a biological process, with a size on the order of 1 nm. Most drugs are small molecules. Larger structures such as nucleic acids and proteins, and many polysaccharides are not small molecules, although their constituent monomers (ribo- or deoxyribonucleotides, amino acids, and monosaccharides, respectively) are often considered small molecules. Small molecules may be used as research tools to probe biological function as well as leads in the development of new therapeutic agents. Some can inhibit a specific function of a protein or disrupt protein–protein interactions.

Pharmacology usually restricts the term "small molecule" to molecules that bind specific biological macromolecules and act as an effector, altering the activity or function of the target. Small molecules can have a variety of biological functions or applications, serving as cell signaling molecules, drugs in medicine, pesticides in farming, and in many other roles. These compounds can be natural (such as secondary metabolites) or artificial (such as antiviral drugs); they may have a beneficial effect against a disease (such as drugs) or may be detrimental (such as teratogens and carcinogens). [from: Wikipedia contributors. (2019, April 6). Small molecule. In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 19:49, May 29, 2019, from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Small_molecule&oldid=891243496]

Salvinorin is a psychoactive terpene isolated from Salvia divinorum.

References:
Madan Kumar Paudel, Osamu Shirota, Kaori Sasaki-Tabata, Hiroyuki Tanaka, Setsuko Sekita, and Satoshi Morimoto. (2013) Development of an Enzyme Immunoassay Using a Monoclonal Antibody against the Psychoactive Diterpenoid Salvinorin A. Journal of Natural Products. 76(9):1654-1660. DOI: 10.1021/np400358n.