Antioxidant and Anti-inflammatory Effects of Natural Product Extracts

Dear Colleagues,

I am pleased to inform you that I am organizing a Special Issue titled “Antioxidant and Anti-inflammatory Effects of Natural Product Extracts” for the journal Pharmaceuticals (ISSN: 1424-8247, https://www.mdpi.com/journal/pharmaceuticals). Given your distinguished expertise in this field, I warmly invite you to submit articles, short communications, or letters for this Special Issue.

Below is a brief introduction to the focus we are seeking for this Special Issue:

Inflammation is a physiological response triggered by various factors, such as pathogens or injuries. Additionally, environmental factors, including dietary choices, can contribute to lifestyle-related diseases, where chronic inflammation plays a crucial role. These diseases include cardiovascular conditions, cancer, diabetes mellitus, chronic kidney disease, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, neurodegenerative disorders, and autoimmune diseases, among others.

Chronic inflammation often creates an environment conducive to oxidative stress, and vice versa. Oxidative stress results from an imbalance between the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and reactive nitrogen species (RNS) and the body's antioxidant defenses. This imbalance, combined with the action of pro-inflammatory agents, can trigger harmful inflammatory processes.

The increasing prevalence of chronic inflammatory diseases over the recent decade has intensified the search for natural compounds that exhibit both antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. These compounds are being explored as potential safe and effective alternatives to conventional pharmaceuticals.

Natural product extracts stand out for their chemical diversity and therapeutic potential. For instance, phenolic compounds and flavonoids have shown effectiveness in modulating inflammatory pathways and neutralizing free radicals. Similarly, terpenoids and saponins have demonstrated the ability to inhibit key enzymes involved in inflammatory processes, such as cyclooxygenases and lipoxygenases. Additional compounds, such as alkaloids and glycosides, exhibit notable antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties by influencing specific biological pathways and regulating cellular responses.

Furthermore, natural products targeting key pharmacological pathways, such as Interleukins (IL), NF-κB, TNF-α, Nrf2, HIF-1α, SOD, and Catalase, offer significant therapeutic promise. Some extracts can modulate IL levels, affecting cytokine production and inflammatory responses. Others may impact the NF-κB signaling pathway, which is crucial for regulating inflammatory genes. Compounds that activate Nrf2 enhance antioxidant defenses, while those affecting SOD and Catalase help reduce oxidative stress and inflammation.

Finally, the application of advanced screening techniques and OMIC technologies, including lipidomics, proteomics, genomics, and metabolomics, has enabled the identification of new natural compounds with significant antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. These technologies provide a deeper understanding of how these compounds interact with biological systems and how they can be optimized for therapeutic applications.

This field represents unexplored potential and is a rich source of opportunities for researchers interested in discovering and developing new therapies based on natural products. We invite you to contribute your research and findings to this exciting and promising area of science.

Dr. Luis Apaza Ticona
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. Pharmaceuticals is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly 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 2900 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.

• inflammation
• oxidative stress
• natural products
• antioxidant properties
• anti-inflammatory properties
• omic technologies