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Therapeutic Potential of Antioxidants in the Prevention of Human Diseases
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Therapeutic Potential of Antioxidants in the Prevention of Human Diseases

A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Pathology, Diagnostics, and Therapeutics".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 December 2024 | Viewed by 10425

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Kota V. Ramana

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Biomedical Sciences, Noorda College of Osteopathic Medicine, Provo, UT 84606, USA
Interests: oxidative stress-induced signal transduction mechanisms; pathophysiology of secondary diabetic complications; carcinogenesis; inflammatory complications; therapeutic development of small molecular inhibitors and antioxidants
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Oxidative stress has been associated with a number of complications, including infectious diseases, inflammatory complications, neurodegenerative diseases, metabolic diseases, and various cancers. Natural plant-derived products have been used to treat these complications for thousands of years, without much understanding of the molecular mechanism(s) through which these compounds prevent or cure these human diseases. Furthermore, several antioxidants derived from various natural resources have been tested in the past, and it has been found that their effective antioxidative and anti-inflammatory properties could benefit human health. Indeed, some currently available pharmaceutical drugs have been developed from compounds isolated from various plant species. Furthermore, multiple analogs of antioxidants are more potent than parent antioxidants. Although several preclinical studies indicate the beneficial effects of various antioxidants, some have never been tested in a clinical setting. Furthermore, novel functions of already-existing antioxidants and the identification of novel antioxidants with potential benefits to human health and disease still need to be explored. This Special Issue is dedicated to studies on various natural antioxidants and their possible analogs in preventing and treating various human diseases. We invite potential authors to contribute to this Special Issue on studies related to structural and computational studies, functional studies, preclinical and clinical research studies, and comprehensive reviews.

Dr. Kota V. Ramana
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • antioxidants
  • vitamins
  • inflammation
  • cancer
  • neurological complications
  • diabetes
  • flavonoids
  • natural compounds
  • cancer
  • infections
  • COVID-19

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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12 pages, 8155 KiB  
Article
Caffeine Protects Keratinocytes from Trichophyton mentagrophytes Infection and Behaves as an Antidermatophytic Agent
by Diogo M. da Fonseca, Lisa Rodrigues, José Sousa-Baptista, Félix Marcos-Tejedor, Marta Mota, Rodrigo A. Cunha, Chantal Fernandes and Teresa Gonçalves
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2024, 25(15), 8303; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms25158303 - 30 Jul 2024
Viewed by 406
Abstract
Caffeine affords several beneficial effects on human health, acting as an antioxidant, anti-inflammatory agent, and analgesic. Caffeine is widely used in cosmetics, but its antimicrobial activity has been scarcely explored, namely against skin infection agents. Dermatophytes are the most common fungal agents of [...] Read more.
Caffeine affords several beneficial effects on human health, acting as an antioxidant, anti-inflammatory agent, and analgesic. Caffeine is widely used in cosmetics, but its antimicrobial activity has been scarcely explored, namely against skin infection agents. Dermatophytes are the most common fungal agents of human infection, mainly of skin infections. This work describes the in vitro effect of caffeine during keratinocyte infection by Trichophyton mentagrophytes, one of the most common dermatophytes. The results show that caffeine was endowed with antidermatophytic activity with a MIC, determined following the EUCAST standards, of 8 mM. Caffeine triggered a modification of the levels of two major components of the fungal cell wall, β-(1,3)-glucan and chitin. Caffeine also disturbed the ultrastructure of the fungal cells, particularly the cell wall surface and mitochondria, and autophagic-like structures were observed. During dermatophyte–human keratinocyte interactions, caffeine prevented the loss of viability of keratinocytes and delayed spore germination. Overall, this indicates that caffeine can act as a therapeutic and prophylactic agent for dermatophytosis. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Therapeutic Potential of Antioxidants in the Prevention of Human Diseases)
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20 pages, 8950 KiB  
Article
The Scavenging Activity of Coenzyme Q10 Plus a Nutritional Complex on Human Retinal Pigment Epithelial Cells
by Maria Hernandez, Sergio Recalde, Jaione Bezunartea, Maite Moreno-Orduña, Idoia Belza, Ainara Chas-Prat, Elena Perugini, Alfredo Garcia-Layana and Patricia Fernández-Robredo
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2024, 25(15), 8070; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms25158070 - 24 Jul 2024
Viewed by 446
Abstract
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and diabetic retinopathy (DR) are common retinal diseases responsible for most blindness in working-age and elderly populations. Oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction play roles in these pathogenesis, and new therapies counteracting these contributors could be of great interest. Some [...] Read more.
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and diabetic retinopathy (DR) are common retinal diseases responsible for most blindness in working-age and elderly populations. Oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction play roles in these pathogenesis, and new therapies counteracting these contributors could be of great interest. Some molecules, like coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10), are considered beneficial to maintain mitochondrial homeostasis and contribute to the prevention of cellular apoptosis. We investigated the impact of adding CoQ10 (Q) to a nutritional antioxidant complex (Nutrof Total®; N) on the mitochondrial status and apoptosis in an in vitro hydrogen peroxide (H2O2)-induced oxidative stress model in human retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) cells. H2O2 significantly increased 8-OHdG levels (p < 0.05), caspase-3 (p < 0.0001) and TUNEL intensity (p < 0.01), and RANTES (p < 0.05), caspase-1 (p < 0.05), superoxide (p < 0.05), and DRP-1 (p < 0.05) levels, and also decreased IL1β, SOD2, and CAT gene expression (p < 0.05) vs. control. Remarkably, Q showed a significant recovery in IL1β gene expression, TUNEL, TNFα, caspase-1, and JC-1 (p < 0.05) vs. H2O2, and NQ showed a synergist effect in caspase-3 (p < 0.01), TUNEL (p < 0.0001), mtDNA, and DRP-1 (p < 0.05). Our results showed that CoQ10 supplementation is effective in restoring/preventing apoptosis and mitochondrial stress-related damage, suggesting that it could be a valid strategy in degenerative processes such as AMD or DR. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Therapeutic Potential of Antioxidants in the Prevention of Human Diseases)
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12 pages, 1452 KiB  
Article
The Effect of a Ketogenic Diet versus Mediterranean Diet on Clinical and Biochemical Markers of Inflammation in Patients with Obesity and Psoriatic Arthritis: A Randomized Crossover Trial
by Vaia Lambadiari, Pelagia Katsimbri, Aikaterini Kountouri, Emmanouil Korakas, Argyro Papathanasi, Eirini Maratou, George Pavlidis, Loukia Pliouta, Ignatios Ikonomidis, Sofia Malisova, Dionysios Vlachos and Evangelia Papadavid
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2024, 25(5), 2475; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms25052475 - 20 Feb 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 6538
Abstract
The effect of different diet patterns on psoriasis (PSO) and psoriatic arthritis (PSA) is unknown. Τhe aim of our study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a Mediterranean diet (MD) and Ketogenic diet (KD), in patients with PSO and PSA. Twenty-six patients were [...] Read more.
The effect of different diet patterns on psoriasis (PSO) and psoriatic arthritis (PSA) is unknown. Τhe aim of our study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a Mediterranean diet (MD) and Ketogenic diet (KD), in patients with PSO and PSA. Twenty-six patients were randomly assigned to start either with MD or KD for a period of 8 weeks. After a 6-week washout interval, the two groups were crossed over to the other type of diet for 8 weeks. At the end of this study, MD and KD resulted in significant reduction in weight (p = 0.002, p < 0.001, respectively), in BMI (p = 0.006, p < 0.001, respectively), in waist circumference (WC) (p = 0.001, p < 0.001, respectively), in total fat mass (p = 0.007, p < 0.001, respectively), and in visceral fat (p = 0.01, p < 0.001, respectively), in comparison with baseline. After KD, patients displayed a significant reduction in the Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) (p = 0.04), Disease Activity Index of Psoriatic Arthritis (DAPSA) (p = 0.004), interleukin (IL)-6 (p = 0.047), IL-17 (p = 0.042), and IL-23 (p = 0.037), whereas no significant differences were observed in these markers after MD (p > 0.05), compared to baseline. The 22-week MD–KD diet program in patients with PSO and PSA led to beneficial results in markers of inflammation and disease activity, which were mainly attributed to KD. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Therapeutic Potential of Antioxidants in the Prevention of Human Diseases)
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13 pages, 4768 KiB  
Article
β-Carotene Supplementation Improves Pancreas Function during Moderate Ethanol Consumption: Initial Characterization from a Morphological Overview
by Cristian Sandoval, Angeles Vera, Katherine Birditt, Karina Godoy, Florencia Carmine, José Caamaño and Jorge Farías
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2024, 25(2), 1219; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms25021219 - 19 Jan 2024
Viewed by 990
Abstract
Alcohol is believed to harm acinar cells, pancreatic ductal epithelium, and pancreatic stellate cells. After giving ethanol and/or β-carotene to C57BL/6 mice, our goal was to evaluate their biochemistry, histology, and morpho-quantitative features. There were six groups of C57BL/6 mice: 1. Group C [...] Read more.
Alcohol is believed to harm acinar cells, pancreatic ductal epithelium, and pancreatic stellate cells. After giving ethanol and/or β-carotene to C57BL/6 mice, our goal was to evaluate their biochemistry, histology, and morpho-quantitative features. There were six groups of C57BL/6 mice: 1. Group C (control), 2. Group LA (low-dose alcohol), 3. Group MA (moderate-dose alcohol), 4. Group B (β-carotene), 5. Group LA + B (low-dose alcohol combined with β-carotene), and 6. Group MA + B (moderate-dose alcohol combined with β-carotene). After the animals were euthanized on day 28, each specimen’s pancreatic tissue was taken. Lipase, uric acid, and amylase were assessed using biochemical assessment. Furthermore, the examination of the pancreatic structure was conducted using Ammann’s fibrosis scoring system. Finally, the morpho-quantitative characteristics of the pancreatic islets and acinar cells were determined. In the serum of the MA + B group, there were higher amounts of total amylase (825.953 ± 193.412 U/L) and lower amounts of lipase (47.139 ± 6.099 U/L) (p < 0.05). Furthermore, Ammann’s fibrosis punctuation in the pancreas revealed significant variations between the groups (p < 0.001). Finally, the stereological analysis of pancreatic islets showed that the groups were different (p < 0.001). These findings suggest that antioxidant treatments might help decrease the negative effects of ethanol exposure in animal models. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Therapeutic Potential of Antioxidants in the Prevention of Human Diseases)
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Review

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30 pages, 11699 KiB  
Review
The Bioactivity and Phytochemicals of Muscari comosum (Leopoldia comosa), a Plant of Multiple Pharmacological Activities
by Varun Jaiswal and Hae-Jeung Lee
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2024, 25(5), 2592; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms25052592 - 23 Feb 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1381
Abstract
Leopoldia comosa (LC), popularly known as Muscari comosum, spontaneously grows in the Mediterranean region and its bulbs are used as a vegetable. Traditionally, they are also used to treat various diseases and conditions, which has inspired the study of the pharmacological activities [...] Read more.
Leopoldia comosa (LC), popularly known as Muscari comosum, spontaneously grows in the Mediterranean region and its bulbs are used as a vegetable. Traditionally, they are also used to treat various diseases and conditions, which has inspired the study of the pharmacological activities of different parts of LC. These studies revealed the numerous biological properties of LC including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-diabetes, anti-obesity, anti-cancer, anti-Alzheimer’s disease, antibacterial, and immune stimulant. High antioxidant activity compared to other non-cultivated plants, and the potential role of antioxidant activity in other reported activities make LC an excellent candidate to be developed as an antioxidant plant against important associated diseases. The presence of a diverse class of phytochemicals (n = 85), especially flavonoids and homoisoflavones, in LC, also imparts significance to the nutraceutical candidature of the plant. However, limited animal studies and the lack of a directional approach have limited the further design of effective clinical studies for the development of LC. The current study is the first attempt to comprehensively compile information regarding the phytochemicals and pharmacological activities of LC, emphasize the targets/markers targeted by LC, important in other activities, and also highlight the current gaps and propose possible bridges for the development of LC as a therapeutic and/or supplement against important diseases. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Therapeutic Potential of Antioxidants in the Prevention of Human Diseases)
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