Topic Editors

Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Biologiche, Chimiche, Farmaceutiche (STEBICEF), Edificio 16, Università di Palermo, Viale delle Scienze, 90128 Palermo, Italy
Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Torino, Torino, Italy

Molecular and Cellular Aspects of the Beneficial Effects of Natural Products on Chronic Diseases

Abstract submission deadline
31 August 2024
Manuscript submission deadline
31 October 2024
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978

Topic Information

Dear Colleagues,

Chronic diseases account for more than 80% of deaths across the globe. They include hypertension, diabetes, cancer, and cardiovascular, kidney, respiratory, and liver diseases and are often characterized by long-term, low-grade inflammation. Chronic diseases share several common risk factors and underlying determinants, such as low physical activity, obesity, poor diet, disturbed sleep patterns, and stress. These common determinants represent opportunities for effective intervention to improve the disease trajectory toward a more favorable course. Natural products are the oldest forms of medication in human history, and bioactive molecules from natural products can still contribute to new drug development today thanks to their broad chemical and functional diversity. Over the past few decades, several studies have demonstrated that the dietary intake of vegetables, fruits, grains, and legumes rich in bioactive compounds such as flavonoids, anthocyanins, procyanidins, and several others can help combat and prevent various chronic conditions. Considering that oxidative stress and chronic inflammation are the hallmarks of several chronic diseases, promising cellular effects of various bioactive molecules are their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory actions. Other promising properties are the anti-lipogenic and anti-diabetic activities for the treatment of metabolic diseases. However, the detailed effects of bioactive natural compounds at the cellular and molecular levels remain largely unknown. The scope of this Topic is to highlight the recent advances and progress made in the mechanisms of action of bioactive natural compounds against chronic diseases. We welcome original research, reviews, and perspective articles describing in vivo, in vitro, and in silico studies. We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Prof. Dr. Claudio Luparello
Dr. Patrizia Bovolin
Topic Editors

Keywords

  • chronic diseases
  • bioactive natural compounds
  • cancer
  • metabolic syndrome
  • cardiovascular diseases
  • liver diseases
  • anti-lipogenic
  • antioxidant
  • anti-inflammatory
  • metabolomics/proteomics/transcriptomics

Participating Journals

Journal Name Impact Factor CiteScore Launched Year First Decision (median) APC
Biomolecules
biomolecules
5.5 8.3 2011 16.9 Days CHF 2700 Submit
Cancers
cancers
5.2 7.4 2009 17.9 Days CHF 2900 Submit
Diseases
diseases
3.7 - 2013 18.8 Days CHF 1800 Submit
International Journal of Molecular Sciences
ijms
5.6 7.8 2000 16.3 Days CHF 2900 Submit
Nutrients
nutrients
5.9 9.0 2009 14.5 Days CHF 2900 Submit

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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17 pages, 2334 KiB  
Article
Chemical Characterization, Free Radical Scavenging, and Cellular Antioxidant Properties of the Egadi Island Endemic Brassica macrocarpa Guss Leaf Extract
by Adele Cicio, Noemi Aloi, Stefania Sut, Valeria Longo, Francesca Terracina, Stefano Dall’Acqua, Maria Grazia Zizzo, Maurizio Bruno, Vincenzo Ilardi, Paolo Colombo, Claudio Luparello and Rosa Serio
Biomolecules 2024, 14(6), 636; https://doi.org/10.3390/biom14060636 - 29 May 2024
Viewed by 231
Abstract
The genus Brassica is an important source of food in the Mediterranean diet with documented nutritional and medicinal properties. However, few studies have investigated the phytochemical composition and the biological activity of wild Sicilian taxa. Thus, we aimed to study the chemical profile [...] Read more.
The genus Brassica is an important source of food in the Mediterranean diet with documented nutritional and medicinal properties. However, few studies have investigated the phytochemical composition and the biological activity of wild Sicilian taxa. Thus, we aimed to study the chemical profile and the antioxidant potential, in vitro and in LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells, of a methanolic extract of leaves of wild Brassica macrocarpa Guss (B. macrocarpa) (Egadi Islands; Sicily-Italy). B. macrocarpa methanolic extract showed a large amount of glucosinolates and different phenolic compounds. It exhibited antioxidant activity in the DPPH assay and in LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells, being able to reduce NO and ROS levels and NOS2 mRNA expression. Our study demonstrated that Sicilian B. macrocarpa methanolic extract, in LPS-stimulated macrophages, efficiently counteracts oxidative stress and displays radical scavenging activity. Future studies are required to identify the contribution of the single phytocomponents, to characterize the action mechanism, and to reveal possible applications in human health. Full article
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20 pages, 8590 KiB  
Article
A Lombard Variety of Sweet Pepper Regulating Senescence and Proliferation: The Voghera Pepper
by Fabrizio De Luca, Federica Gola, Alberto Azzalin, Claudio Casali, Ludovica Gaiaschi, Gloria Milanesi, Riccardo Vicini, Paola Rossi and Maria Grazia Bottone
Nutrients 2024, 16(11), 1681; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu16111681 - 29 May 2024
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Abstract
Aging and its related disorders are important issues nowadays and the first cause of this physio-pathological condition is the overproduction of ROS. Ascorbic acid is an antioxidant mediator and its anti-aging proprieties are well known. Our previous data demonstrated that Voghera sweet pepper [...] Read more.
Aging and its related disorders are important issues nowadays and the first cause of this physio-pathological condition is the overproduction of ROS. Ascorbic acid is an antioxidant mediator and its anti-aging proprieties are well known. Our previous data demonstrated that Voghera sweet pepper (VP), a distinctive type of pepper cultivated in Italy, is particularly rich in ascorbic acid. Based on these data, the anti-aging effect mediated by extracts of the edible part of VP was evaluated on an in vitro model of both young and old Normal Human Diploid Fibroblasts (NHDF). Using phase contrast microscopy, we observed that VP may help cells in the maintenance of physiological morphology during aging. Cytofluorimetric analyses revealed that VP extracts led to an increase in DNA synthesis and percentage of living cells, linked to a consequent increase in mitotic events. This hypothesis is supported by the enhancement of PCNA expression levels observed in old, treated fibroblasts, corroborating the idea that this extract could recover a young phenotype in adult fibroblasts, confirmed by the study of p16 and p53 expression levels and TEM analyses. Based on these results, we may suppose that VP can lead to the partial recovery of “young-like” phenotypes in old fibroblasts. Full article
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