Medicinal Plants and Natural Compounds in Health and Disease: Progresses, Challenges, Opportunities

Dear Colleagues,

Humankind has a multi-millennial tradition in treating diseases by means of natural remedies. Phytocompounds isolated from the herbs described in traditional pharmacopoeia, alongside other natural bioactive elements, have been proven in recent times to regulate a wide array of biological processes, such as inflammation, immune response, apoptosis, cell proliferation, cholesterol trafficking or neuronal plasticity. In addition, combining synthetic drugs with plant-based agents, vitamins or other natural compounds has been recognized as an efficient strategy for preventing and treating multifactorial diseases, or for mitigating side effects.

According to various WHO reports, although only 17% out of 250,000 higher plant species around the world have been scientifically studied for their therapeutic potential, over 40% of the pharmacological agents are based on natural products and landmark drugs inspired by traditional medicine. Adequately investigated, this ancient medical knowledge may reveal new bioresources, with a valuable potential for accelerating bioprospection and drug discovery.

In this Special Issue, we welcome original contributions and scientific reviews on the cellular and molecular aspects of phytochemicals, vitamins and other natural compounds and their therapeutic effects, with a recommended emphasis on the differences and similarities between their pharmacological characteristics and those of synthetic drugs; the pharmacokinetics of herbal medicines, herb–herb interactions, herb–drug interactions, natural compounds–drug interactions; the clinical efficacy and safety of natural compounds; the preservation of ethnobotanical knowledge; the innovative plant-based therapeutic approaches built on ancient medical heritage; the use of technology to expand the horizon of traditional medical knowledge; the development of databases on the cellular and molecular actions of medicinal plants, phytochemicals and natural compounds, etc.

Prof. Dr. Marilena Gilca
Dr. Adelina Vlad
Guest Editors

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