Nutraceuticals for the Prevention and Treatment of Cardiovascular Disease

Dear Colleagues,

Despite the efforts toward primary prevention, cardiovascular diseases are still one of the most common causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide in industrialized countries. Endothelial dysfunction is one of the first steps that promote CVD. Indeed, several mechanical and biological conditions such as exposure to pro-inflammatory mediators, oxidized low-density lipoproteins (oxLDL) or a reduced bioavailability of nitric oxide (NO) cause the loss of endothelium integrity, leading to lipid, macrophage and leucocyte infiltration in the subendothelial space, creating the conditions for the formation of atherosclerotic plaques, the main cause of ischemic heart disease and peripheral artery disease. These alterations of the endothelium are also the first step toward calcific aortic valve disease, a pathological condition of the aortic valve. Furthermore, at present, it is well known that endothelial dysfunction underlies the severe manifestation of COVID-19 caused by SARS-CoV-2. Studies in heart failure patients have shown that the gravity of the disease correlates with the extent of endothelial dysfunction. Therefore, endothelial dysfunction is an important prognostic factor of the gravity of the disease, and its monitoring can guide the clinician in the management of patients.

The functions of the endothelium can be, at least partially, restored by lifestyle modification and/or specific pharmacologic approaches that slow down, or halt, the progression of cardiovascular disease. There is strong evidence showing the potential role of bioactive compounds and nutraceuticals in foods and food by-products in promoting endothelium health, i.e., polyphenols and PUFA. In the last decade, increasing attention has been devoted to the recycling of functional ingredients from fruit and vegetable by-products. Indeed, agricultural and food waste management is a great challenge for global security and environmental governance, directly linked to global competitiveness, the increasing population and other economic-related factors.

In this Special Issue, we invite investigators to contribute original research articles reporting data from both experimental and clinical studies, as well as review articles, which provide a better understanding of the effects of nutrients and nutraceuticals on cardiometabolic disorders. Since, in recent years, there has been great social and environmental interest in the efficient reuse of agricultural waste co- and by-products, often rich in bioactive compounds, papers related to the identification and recovery of such compounds are also encouraged.

Potential topics include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Evaluation of the potential of using nutraceuticals in cardiometabolic disorders in in vitro and in vivo studies (including human studies), including the safety and the cellular and molecular mechanisms. Cutting-edge techniques, e.g., 3D cell models, are well accepted. Particular attention has to be addressed to endothelial dysfunction and cardiac activity restoration through certain types of ex vivo experiments, which is critical in order to ascertain their vascular functionality and beneficial effect on cardiac remodeling.
• High-performance analytical methods suitable for extraction and purification of the natural compounds from functional foods, dietary supplements and herbs, for their stability and the study of their bioavailability in vitro and/or in vivo in biological fluids.
• Bioanalytical methods to determine the biological and toxicological effects of these substances and their effect on the management of cardiometabolic disorders.
• Study of the physicochemical properties of the compounds to develop new formulations that help in ameliorating oxidative-stress-induced inflammatory diseases (atherosclerosis).
• Nutraceuticals, new formulations or specific diets as therapeutic strategies.
• Nutrigenetics, nutrigenomics and the potential effect on the intestinal microbiome.

Dr. Cristiana Caliceti
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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• endothelium
• oxidative stress
• cardiovascular disease
• nutraceuticals
• bioactive compounds
• food waste
• agricultural by-products
• inflammation
• apoptosis
• vasculature
• nitric oxide
• bioavailability
• microbiota