Pharmacological Properties of Natural Antioxidants

A special issue of Antioxidants (ISSN 2076-3921). This special issue belongs to the section "Natural and Synthetic Antioxidants".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 March 2024) | Viewed by 8074

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College of Pharmacy, Federal University of Bahia, Rua Barão de Jeremoabo 147, Salvador 40170-115, Bahia, Brazil
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The therapeutic potential of natural antioxidants, derived from medicinal plants and foods, has been increasingly highlighted. In addition to their wide range of biological activities already demonstrated, natural antioxidants have a beneficial effect on human health by protecting against free radicals. Given the important role of oxidative stress in the pathogenesis of many clinical conditions, natural antioxidants can be allies in the treatment and prevention of several diseases, such as cardiovascular diseases, acute and chronic kidney disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, neurodegenerative diseases, diabetes, and cancer. These properties have increased the consumption of natural antioxidants in nutraceuticals and nutritional supplements, although further investigations are still needed to assess the real therapeutic potential of these compounds.

The special issue "Pharmacological Properties of Natural Antioxidants" invites researchers to contribute original research articles and review articles related to plant-derived antioxidant compounds with potentially useful pharmacological properties for human health. Topics of interest include the characterization of pharmacological properties of natural antioxidants, studies of mechanism of action, pharmacokinetic profile, and adverse effects, in addition to clinical trials.

Prof. Dr. Cristiane Flora Villarreal
Guest Editor

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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32 pages, 4744 KiB  
Article
Comparison of the Regenerative Metabolic Efficiency of Lipid Extracts from Microalgae Nannochloropsis oceanica and Chlorococcum amblystomatis on Fibroblasts
by Anna Stasiewicz, Tiago Conde, Maria do Rosario Domingues, Pedro Domingues, Michał Biernacki and Elżbieta Skrzydlewska
Antioxidants 2024, 13(3), 276; https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox13030276 - 24 Feb 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1709
Abstract
UVA radiation leads to oxidative stress and inflammation in skin cells. Therefore, the aim of this study was to compare the effect of lipid extracts from microalgae Nannochloropsis oceanica (N.o.) (marine) and Chlorococcum amblystomatis (C.a.) (freshwater) on the redox [...] Read more.
UVA radiation leads to oxidative stress and inflammation in skin cells. Therefore, the aim of this study was to compare the effect of lipid extracts from microalgae Nannochloropsis oceanica (N.o.) (marine) and Chlorococcum amblystomatis (C.a.) (freshwater) on the redox balance and PUFA metabolism in human skin fibroblasts modified by UVA. Lipid extracts from both types of microalgae introduced into the fibroblast medium after UVA irradiation significantly reduced the level of ROS and enhanced expression of Nrf2, which increased the activity/level of antioxidants (SOD1/2, CAT, GSH, Trx). The reduction in oxidative stress was accompanied by a decrease in the level of 4-HNE, its protein adducts and protein carbonyl groups. Microalgae also reduced the activity of COX1/2, FAAH and MAGL increased by UVA, and as a consequence, the level of lipid mediators (especially after N.o.) decreased, both from the group of endocannabinoids (AEA, 2-AG, PEA) and eicosanoids (PGE2, 15d-PGJ2, TXB2, 15-HETE), acting mainly through receptors related to G protein, the expression of which increases after UVA. This further contributed to the reduction in oxidative stress and pro-inflammatory signaling at NF-κB and TNFα levels. Therefore, it is suggested that lipid extracts from both N.o. and C.a. microalgae can be used to regenerate fibroblast metabolism disturbed by UVA radiation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Pharmacological Properties of Natural Antioxidants)
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19 pages, 3040 KiB  
Article
Protective Mechanisms of Polyphenol-Enriched Blueberry Preparation in Preventing Inflammation in the Skin against UVB-Induced Damage in an Animal Model
by Nawal Alsadi, Hamed Yasavoli-Sharahi, Rudolf Mueller, Cyrille Cuenin, Felicia Chung, Zdenko Herceg and Chantal Matar
Antioxidants 2024, 13(1), 25; https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox13010025 - 21 Dec 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1847
Abstract
UVB significantly impacts the occurrence of cutaneous disorders, ranging from inflammatory to neoplastic diseases. Polyphenols derived from plants have been found to exhibit photoprotective effects against various factors that contribute to skin cancer. During the fermentation of the polyphenol-enriched blueberry preparation (PEBP), small [...] Read more.
UVB significantly impacts the occurrence of cutaneous disorders, ranging from inflammatory to neoplastic diseases. Polyphenols derived from plants have been found to exhibit photoprotective effects against various factors that contribute to skin cancer. During the fermentation of the polyphenol-enriched blueberry preparation (PEBP), small oligomers of polyphenols were released, thus enhancing their photoprotective effects. This study aimed to investigate the protective effects of PEBP on UVB-induced skin inflammation. Topical preparations of polyphenols were applied to the skin of dorsally shaved mice. Mice were subsequently exposed to UVB and were sacrificed 90 min after UVB exposure. This study revealed that pretreatment with PEBP significantly inhibited UVB-induced recruitment of mast and neutrophil cells and prevented the loss of skin thickness. Furthermore, the findings show that PEBP treatment resulted in the downregulation of miR-210, 146a, and 155 and the upregulation of miR-200c and miR-205 compared to the UVB-irradiated mice. Additionally, PEBP was found to reduce the expression of IL-6, IL-1β, and TNFα, inhibiting COX-2 and increasing IL-10 after UVB exposure. Moreover, DNA methylation analysis indicated that PEBP might potentially reduce the activation of inflammation-related pathways such as MAPK, Wnt, Notch, and PI3K-AKT signaling. Our finding suggests that topical application of PEBP treatment may effectively prevent UVB-induced skin damage by inhibiting inflammation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Pharmacological Properties of Natural Antioxidants)
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17 pages, 3823 KiB  
Article
Nimbolide Inhibits SOD2 to Control Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma Growth and Metastasis
by Tugba Mehmetoglu-Gurbuz, Rajkumar Lakshmanaswamy, Karla Perez, Mayra Sandoval, Casandra A. Jimenez, Jackelyn Rocha, Rachel Madeline Goldfarb, Courtney Perry, Alejandra Bencomo, Nishkala Neela, Jose A. Barragan, Raquel Sanchez, Risa Mia Swain and Ramadevi Subramani
Antioxidants 2023, 12(10), 1791; https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox12101791 - 22 Sep 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1844
Abstract
Reactive oxygen species are frequently associated with various cancers including pancreatic ductal adenocarcinomas (PDACs). Superoxide dismutase 2 (SOD2) is an enzyme that plays an important role in reactive oxygen species (ROS) signaling. Investigating the molecular function and biological functions of SOD2 can help [...] Read more.
Reactive oxygen species are frequently associated with various cancers including pancreatic ductal adenocarcinomas (PDACs). Superoxide dismutase 2 (SOD2) is an enzyme that plays an important role in reactive oxygen species (ROS) signaling. Investigating the molecular function and biological functions of SOD2 can help us develop new therapeutic options and uncover new biomarkers for PDAC diagnosis and prognosis. Here, we show that nimbolide (NB), a triterpene limonoid, effectively blocks the growth and metastasis of PDACs by suppressing the expression and activity of SOD2. To identify the role of SOD2 in NB-induced anticancer activity, we used RNA interference to silence and plasmid transfection to overexpress it. Silencing SOD2 significantly reduced the growth and metastatic characteristics like epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition, invasion, migration, and colony-forming capabilities of PDACs, and NB treatment further reduced these characteristics. Conversely, the overexpression of SOD2 enhanced these metastatic characteristics. ROS signaling has a strong feedback mechanism with the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway, which could be mediated through SOD2. Finally, NB treatment to SOD2-overexpressing PDAC xenografts resulted in significant inhibition of tumor growth and metastasis. Overall, this work suggests that NB, a natural and safe phytochemical that silences SOD2 to induce high levels of ROS generation, results in increased apoptosis and reduced growth and progression of PDACs. The role of SOD2 in regulating NB-induced ROS generation presents itself as a therapeutic option for PDACs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Pharmacological Properties of Natural Antioxidants)
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Review

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28 pages, 4740 KiB  
Review
Patent Mining on the Use of Antioxidant Phytochemicals in the Technological Development for the Prevention and Treatment of Periodontitis
by Paulo José Lima Juiz, Luiza Teles Barbalho Ferreira, Edilson Araújo Pires and Cristiane Flora Villarreal
Antioxidants 2024, 13(5), 566; https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox13050566 - 3 May 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2024
Abstract
Periodontal disease is an inflammatory condition characterized by an aberrant immune response against a dysbiotic dental biofilm, with oxidative stress performing an essential role in its pathogenesis. This paper presents a patent mining, performed in the Orbit Intelligence patent database, related to antioxidant [...] Read more.
Periodontal disease is an inflammatory condition characterized by an aberrant immune response against a dysbiotic dental biofilm, with oxidative stress performing an essential role in its pathogenesis. This paper presents a patent mining, performed in the Orbit Intelligence patent database, related to antioxidant phytochemicals in the technological developments that are working to prevent and treat periodontal disease. To access the documents, the descriptors “PERIODONTAL” and “ANTIOXIDANT” were typed in the title, abstract, and claim search fields. A total of 322 patents demonstrate the growing interest in researching natural antioxidants for scientific and technological purposes. The top ten countries regarding the number of family patents produced were the United States, the European Office, Japan, South Korea, China, India, Mexico, Denmark, Canada, and Great Britain. The most cited compounds were vitamin C, green tea, quercetin, melatonin, lycopene, resveratrol, and curcumin. These compounds have been used for the technological development of gels, membranes, dentifrices, chewing gum, orally disintegrating film, mouthwash, mouth spray, and mouth massage cream and exhibit the ability to neutralize free radicals and reduce oxidative stress, a critical factor in the development and progression of periodontal diseases. The patent documents have shown that using antioxidant compounds in conjunction with traditional periodontal treatments is a promising area of interest in periodontal therapy. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Pharmacological Properties of Natural Antioxidants)
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