Special Issue "Regulation of Autophagy by Natural Compounds and Their Antioxidant Activity"

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 August 2023 | Viewed by 1396

Special Issue Editors

Institute of Food Sciences, National Research Council (CNR) via Roma 64, 83100 Avellino, Italy
Interests: natural antioxidants; autophagy; apoptosis; cellular biochemistry; signal transduction
Department of Molecular Medicine and Medical Biotechnology, University of Naples Federico II, Via Pansini 5, 80131 Naples, Italy
Interests: natural antioxidants; antioxidant enzymes; oxidative stress; thiols
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Institute of Food Sciences, National Research Council (CNR) via Roma 64, 83100 Avellino, Italy
Interests: Phytochemicals; Chemoprevention; Autophagy; Cell Cycle; Apoptosis

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

A relatively unexplored field of study is the role of fundamental biological processes such as autophagy as a cellular response to a redox imbalance and the role of natural compounds in modulating this response in physiological (aging) and pathological contexts (cancer, cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases).

The interplay between reactive oxygen species (ROS) and natural compounds as autophagy modulators is the focus of different studies based on different cellular models (such as cancer vs. normal cells). Furthermore, although connections between ROS and autophagy are observed under various pathological conditions, the mode of activation of autophagy and the potential protective or cytotoxic functions are not fully understood.

Notably, recent advances in the field of redox regulation of autophagy focus on the role of natural compounds as activators of antioxidant response regulated by the transcription factor NFR2/Keap1 system.

This Special Issue focuses on studies that could “connect the dots” between the effects of natural compounds as inducers of autophagy and ROS imbalance in different cellular contexts to better understand the roles of autophagy in several chronic degenerative diseases and aging and utilize it as a therapeutic target.

Dr. Maria Russo
Prof. Dr. Immacolata Castellano
Dr. Gian Luigi Russo
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. Antioxidants 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 2400 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

  • autophagy regulation
  • natural compounds
  • phytochemicals
  • ROS
  • oxidative stress
  • in vitro and vivo studies
  • NRF2/Keap1 system
  • cancer
  • cardiovascular disease
  • neurodegenerative pathologies
  • aging

Published Papers (1 paper)

Order results
Result details
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

Article
Antioxidant Potential-Rich Betel Leaves (Piper betle L.) Exert Depigmenting Action by Triggering Autophagy and Downregulating MITF/Tyrosinase In Vitro and In Vivo
Antioxidants 2023, 12(2), 374; https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox12020374 - 03 Feb 2023
Viewed by 1020
Abstract
Each individual has a unique skin tone based on the types and quantities of melanin pigment, and oxidative stress is a key element in melanogenesis regulation. This research sought to understand the in vitro and in vivo antioxidant and depigmenting properties of betel [...] Read more.
Each individual has a unique skin tone based on the types and quantities of melanin pigment, and oxidative stress is a key element in melanogenesis regulation. This research sought to understand the in vitro and in vivo antioxidant and depigmenting properties of betel leaves (Piper betle L.) extract (PBL) and the underlying mechanism. Ethyl acetate fractions of PBL (PBLA) demonstrated excellent phenolic content (342 ± 4.02 mgGAE/g) and strong DPPH, ABTS radicals, and nitric oxide (NO) scavenging activity with an IC50 value of 41.52 ± 1.02 μg/mL, 45.60 ± 0.56 μg/mL, and 51.42 ± 1.25 μg/mL, respectively. Contrarily, ethanolic extract of PBL (PBLE) showed potent mushroom, mice, and human tyrosinase inhibition activity (IC50 = 7.72 ± 0.98 μg/mL, 20.59 ± 0.83 μg/mL and 24.78 ± 0.56 μg/mL, respectively). According to gas chromatography–mass spectrometry, PBL is abundant in caryophyllene, eugenol, O-eugenol, 3-Allyl-6-methoxyphenyl acetate, and chavicol. An in vitro and in vivo investigation showed that PBLE suppressed tyrosinase (Tyr), tyrosinase-related protein-1 and -2 (Trp-1 and Trp-2), and microphthalmia-associated transcription factors (MITF), decreasing the formation of melanin in contrast to the untreated control. PBLE reduced the cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) response to an element-binding protein (CREB) phosphorylation by preventing the synthesis of cAMP. Additionally, it activates c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinases (p38), destroying Tyr and MITF and avoiding melanin production. Higher levels of microtubule-associated protein-light chain 3 (LC3-II), autophagy-related protein 5 (Atg5), Beclin 1, and lower levels of p62 demonstrate that PBLE exhibits significant anti-melanogenic effects via an autophagy-induction mechanism, both in vitro and in vivo. Additionally, PBLE significantly reduced the amount of lipid peroxidation while increasing the activity of several antioxidant enzymes in vivo, such as catalase, glutathione, superoxide dismutase, and thioredoxin. PBLE can therefore be employed in topical formulations as a potent skin-whitening agent. Full article
Show Figures

Figure 1

Back to TopTop