Natural Products and Nature-Inspirated Synthetic Derivatives in Parkinson's Disease Drug Discovery
A special issue of Molecules (ISSN 1420-3049). This special issue belongs to the section "Natural Products Chemistry".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 May 2021) | Viewed by 7041
Special Issue Editor
Interests: neurodegenerative diseases; endothelial dysfunction; inflammation; oxidative stress; drug development
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Parkinson’s disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disease. It is known to start with the loss of dopaminergic neurons of the substance nigra pars compacta (SNc). Although PD pathogenesis is not fully known, there is evidence that several genetic and environmental factors may be involved. Oxidative stress, mitochondrial injury, inflammatory processes, abnormal α-synuclein deposition, and cell apoptosis have been reported as possible triggers of the disease.
In 2016, there were approximately 6.1 million patients worldwide affected by this disease. The prevalence of the disease reaches 41 people per 100,000 among those under 50, and this rises to 1900 people per 100,000 among those over 85 years of age. If this trend does not change, as a result of the aging of the global population, the number of people living with PD will double by 2050.
Currently, the treatment of this disease is only symptomatic. The combination of levodopa–carbidopa is the most successful treatment. However, its effectiveness in controlling symptoms is reduced with the progression of the disease. Other options are dopamine agonists, MAO inhibitors, COMT inhibitors, acetylcholinesterase inhibitors or amantadine, which is used in early stages or to relieve dyskinesias caused by levodopa–carbidopa.
To date, a disease-modifying therapy has not been developed. Different herbal extracts and isolated natural products have been described due to their anti-PD properties. Their interest is based on their anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory properties, their inhibitory role in iron accumulation, protein misfolding and the maintenance of proteasomal degradation, as well as mitochondrial homeostasis. However, their precise neuroprotective mechanisms remain unclear.
The cell lines and animal models used in preclinical studies of PD have shown many limitations. The clinical trials performed with extracts are also inconclusive. Standardization of the chemical composition of the extracts, and improvement of the clinical studies in terms of design and outcome measures are necessary.
Therefore, this Special Issue aims to include original or review articles on herbal extracts, natural products or nature-inspired synthetic derivatives with an interest in PD. Detailed studies of their mechanisms of action, the in vitro and in vivo models used, and new therapeutic approaches are also welcome.
Dr. Dolores Viña
Guest Editor
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Molecules is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- Parkinson’s disease (PD)
- Natural products
- Nature-inspirated synthetic derivatives
- Herbal extracts
- Target in PD
- Mechanism of action
- Experimental models of PD
- Clinical trials
Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue
- Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
- Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
- Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
- External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
- e-Book format: Special Issues with more than 10 articles can be published as dedicated e-books, ensuring wide and rapid dissemination.
Further information on MDPI's Special Issue polices can be found here.
