Phytochemicals Beneficial to Human Health - Volume II

A special issue of Plants (ISSN 2223-7747). This special issue belongs to the section "Phytochemistry".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 April 2024) | Viewed by 2765

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Laboratorio de Medicina de Conservación, Escuela Superior de Medicina, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Plan de San Luis y Díaz Mirón, Col. Casco de Santo Tomás, Del. Miguel Hidalgo, Ciudad de México 11340, Mexico
Interests: Liver regeneration; ethanol metabolism; transcriptional factor Nrf2; alcoholic liver disease; oxidative stress; cell damage by free radicals; inflammatory process; chronic diseases.
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Laboratorio de Medicina de Conservación, Escuela Superior de Medicina, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Plan de San Luis y Díaz Mirón, Col. Casco de Santo Tomás, Del. Miguel Hidalgo, Ciudad de México 11340, Mexico
Interests: antioxidants; phytochemicals; oxidative stress; use of antioxidants in exercise; antioxidants in athletic performance and human health
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Plant materials and derivatives have been widely studied worldwide for the countless benefits they bring to human health. Currently, numerous research groups have focused on the study and characterization of herbal extracts to identify numerous plant metabolites that have been found to exert remarkable effects on biological systems.

To a large extent, many diseases arise from the interruption or blockage of natural metabolic biological processes, resulting in the inability to maintain cellular homeostasis. In vitro and in vivo studies show how bioactive plant compounds possess the ability to activate cell signaling pathways that are altered in pathological situations or certain medical conditions. The elucidation of the mechanisms by which the bioactive compounds of plants act continues to be approached as a directional axis in research projects. In this sense, there is a wide area of opportunity to explore the use of phytochemicals in human health, in diseases, or in special conditions such as physical exercise and its effect on athletic performance. In addition, phytochemicals currently seem to have a high potential for the treatment of various diseases, proving to be a viable alternative to the currently available medicines.

We invite the scientific community interested in studying the role of phytochemicals in human health to submit their work to this Special Issue in the form of reviews or original research articles that contribute to the formation of solid evidence that supports the optimal use of phytochemicals, whether in cases of disease or conditions such as physical exercise.

Dr. José Antonio Morales-González
Dr. Nancy Vargas Mendoza
Guest Editors

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. Plants 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

  • phytochemicals
  • natural products
  • plant extracts
  • biocompounds
  • antioxidants
  • oxidative stress
  • human health
  • physical exercise

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Review

27 pages, 1676 KiB  
Review
Phytochemicals and Their Usefulness in the Maintenance of Health
by Elda Victoria Rodríguez-Negrete, Ángel Morales-González, Eduardo Osiris Madrigal-Santillán, Karina Sánchez-Reyes, Isela Álvarez-González, Eduardo Madrigal-Bujaidar, Carmen Valadez-Vega, German Chamorro-Cevallos, Luis Fernando Garcia-Melo and José A. Morales-González
Plants 2024, 13(4), 523; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants13040523 - 15 Feb 2024
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Abstract
Inflammation is the immune system’s first biological response to infection, injury, or irritation. Evidence suggests that the anti-inflammatory effect is mediated by the regulation of various inflammatory cytokines, such as nitric oxide, interleukins, tumor necrosis factor alpha-α, interferon gamma-γ, as well as the [...] Read more.
Inflammation is the immune system’s first biological response to infection, injury, or irritation. Evidence suggests that the anti-inflammatory effect is mediated by the regulation of various inflammatory cytokines, such as nitric oxide, interleukins, tumor necrosis factor alpha-α, interferon gamma-γ, as well as the non-cytokine mediator, prostaglandin E2. Currently, the mechanism of action and clinical usefulness of phytochemicals is known; their action on the activity of cytokines, free radicals, and oxidative stress. The latter are of great relevance in the development of diseases, such that the evidence collected demonstrates the beneficial effects of phytochemicals in maintaining health. Epidemiological evidence indicates that regular consumption of fruits and vegetables is related to a low risk of developing cancer and other chronic diseases. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Phytochemicals Beneficial to Human Health - Volume II)
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13 pages, 1650 KiB  
Review
Biological Application of the Allopathic Characteristics of the Genus Maclura: A Review
by Juan Carlos Sainz-Hernández, Edgar Omar Rueda-Puente, Yaeel Isbeth Cornejo-Ramírez, Ariadna Thalía Bernal-Mercado, Héctor Abelardo González-Ocampo and Betzabe Ebenhezer López-Corona
Plants 2023, 12(19), 3480; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12193480 - 05 Oct 2023
Viewed by 1224
Abstract
Maclura is a plant genus little known and used, species of which have been mainly used in the recovery of soils, for medicinal purposes such as dental infection treatments, and as wood for making furniture and construction. The overexploitation of this genus has [...] Read more.
Maclura is a plant genus little known and used, species of which have been mainly used in the recovery of soils, for medicinal purposes such as dental infection treatments, and as wood for making furniture and construction. The overexploitation of this genus has placed certain species in endangered extinction status in some countries, such as Brazil. In addition, the scarce research and information limit the development, cultivation, and management of its species regarding their biochemical composition, which includes bioactive compounds such as the phenolic and flavonoid compounds found in some species such as M. pomifera, M. cochinchinensis, and M. tinctoria. The plants’ antioxidant, antimicrobial, anticancer, anti-inflammatory, and antiproliferative activities have been attributed to these compounds. Other biochemical components such as ashes, insoluble lignin, holocellulose, and the high content of lipids and carbohydrates have been identified to be used to produce biofuels, with characteristics very similar to fuels derived from petroleum. This review aims to analyze the current knowledge on the plant genus Maclura, exploring its biochemical compounds and potential applications, including as a food additive, antioxidant supplement, in agriculture, for therapeutic purposes, aquaculture, and the cosmetic and industrial sector. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Phytochemicals Beneficial to Human Health - Volume II)
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