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Bioactive Compounds in Foods: Functional Properties, Health Benefits and Disease...
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Bioactive Compounds in Foods: Functional Properties, Health Benefits and Disease Prevention: 2nd Edition

A special issue of Foods (ISSN 2304-8158). This special issue belongs to the section "Nutraceuticals, Functional Foods, and Novel Foods".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 October 2025 | Viewed by 3325

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Annalisa Chiavaroli

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Pharmacy, “G. d'Annunzio” University of Chieti-Pescara, Chieti, Italy
Interests: food compounds; pharma-toxicological evaluation of herbal extracts and natural compounds
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Giustino Orlando

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Pharmacy, University of G. d'Annunzio Chieti and Pescara, Chieti, Italy
Interests: food compounds; bioactive extracts; inflammation; oxidative metabolic diseases
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to invite you to submit original articles for publication in this Special Issue of Foods, entitled “Bioactive Compounds in Foods: Functional Properties, Health Benefits and Disease Prevention: 2nd Edition”.

Novel foods and their ingredients are actually required to reduce, prevent, and treat chronic, inflammatory, and metabolic diseases and promote health.

The goal of this Special Issue is to deepen knowledge on the conscious use of food, with particular reference paid to biactive compounds. Including natural products and also extracted from high-quality by-products, these can exert anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects.

In this regard, the investigations presented should include detailed analyses attesting to the protective role of foods and their components, together with an accurate evaluation of their qualitative and quantitative chemical compositions.

In particular, biological and pharmacological research should also contain an examination of the beneficial activities using both in vitro (i.e., cell cultures, pathogen microbiological strains, isolated tissue) and in vivo models, and include preclinical and clinical data based on validated and reproducible models. Particular attention will be paid to the chemical composition of the examined products.

Potential authors are strongly invited to submit papers reporting on the identification and quantification of food compounds through chromatographic and/or spectroscopic analyses.

In addition, researchers are encouraged to submit investigations into the characterization of cytotoxicity determination, mechanism of actions, pharmaco-toxicological evaluations, as well as bioinformatics approaches based on target–component analysis, in particular for bioactive extracts from foods.

Dr. Annalisa Chiavaroli
Dr. Giustino Orlando
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. Foods 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 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.

Keywords

  • bioactive compounds
  • bioactive extracts
  • oxidative stress
  • inflammation
  • metabolic diseases

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

20 pages, 3652 KiB  
Article
A Novel Formulation Based on Resveratrol and Water Extracts from Equisetum arvense, Crataegus curvisepala, Vitex agnus-castus, and Glycine max Inhibits the Gene Expression of Inflammatory and Osteoclastogenic Biomarkers on C2C12 Cells Exposed to Oxidative Stress
by Simonetta Cristina Di Simone, Alessandra Acquaviva, Maria Loreta Libero, Nilofar Nilofar, Fatma Tunali, Mariachiara Gabriele, Angelica Pia Centulio, Gianluca Genovesi, Davide Ciaramellano, Lucia Recinella, Sheila Leone, Luigi Brunetti, Gokhan Zengin, Giustino Orlando, Luigi Menghini, Annalisa Chiavaroli and Claudio Ferrante
Foods 2025, 14(5), 896; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods14050896 - 6 Mar 2025
Viewed by 935
Abstract
Medicinal plants and natural compounds have been considered alternative therapeutic options for counteracting postmenopausal disorders thanks to their different concomitant effects, including antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties and the regulation of hormone activity. It is important to highlight that the efficacy of medicinal plants [...] Read more.
Medicinal plants and natural compounds have been considered alternative therapeutic options for counteracting postmenopausal disorders thanks to their different concomitant effects, including antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties and the regulation of hormone activity. It is important to highlight that the efficacy of medicinal plants and natural compounds increases when used in combination, thus making the development of herbal formulations rational. Therefore, the present study aimed to evaluate the phytochemical and pharmacological properties of an innovative formulation consisting of resveratrol and water extracts from Equisetum arvense, Crateagus curvisepala, Vitex agnus-castus, and Glycine max. The phenolic composition and radical scavenger properties were evaluated using chromatographic and colorimetric (ABTS) methods, whilst the limits of biocompatibility were assessed through allelopathy, the Artemia salina (brine shrimp) lethality test, and Daphnia magna cardiotoxicity assay. The protective effects were evaluated on C2C12 cell lines exposed to the pro-oxidant stimulus, which consisted of hydrogen peroxide. The gene expression of estrogen 1 (ESR1, also known as ERα) and prolactin (PRLR) receptors, interleukin 6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα), and receptor activator of nuclear factor kappa-Β ligand (RANKL) was measured. The results of the phytochemical analysis showed that the main phytochemicals were hydroxycinnamic and phenolic acids, in particular coumaric acid (7.53 µg/mL) and rosmarinic acid (6.91 µg/mL), respectively. This could explain the radical scavenger effect observed from the 2,2-azinobis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) assay. According to the ecotoxicological models’ results, the formulation was revealed to be non-toxic, with a LC50 value > 1 mg/mL. Therefore, a biocompatible concentration range (200–1000 µg/mL) was used in C2C12 cells, where the formulation blunted the hydrogen peroxide-induced upregulation of TNFα, IL-6, RANKL, ESR1, and PRLR. Overall, the results of this study corroborate the use of the formulation for facing the oxidative stress and inflammation, which forms the basis of the osteoclastogenic process. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bioactive Compounds in Foods: Functional Properties, Health Benefits and Disease Prevention: 2nd Edition)
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20 pages, 4082 KiB  
Article
Eisenia bicyclis Extract Ameliorates Colitis in In Vitro and In Vivo Models Through Modulation of mTOR Axis and Gut Microbiota Composition
by Qunzhe Wang, Yuri Im, Jumin Park, Hye Lim Lee, Dae Gon Ryu and Hyemee Kim
Foods 2025, 14(5), 714; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods14050714 - 20 Feb 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 590
Abstract
Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a chronic inflammatory disease of the colon that is associated with dysbiosis in the gut microbiota. Eisenia bicyclis, a marine alga, is known for its anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and gut microbiota-modulating properties. This study explored the mechanisms by which [...] Read more.
Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a chronic inflammatory disease of the colon that is associated with dysbiosis in the gut microbiota. Eisenia bicyclis, a marine alga, is known for its anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and gut microbiota-modulating properties. This study explored the mechanisms by which a 70% ethanol extract of E. bicyclis may alleviate UC, through both in vitro and in vivo experiments. LC-MS/MS analysis revealed eckol, 7-phloroeckol, dieckol, phlorofucofuroeckol A, and fucofuroeckol as key phenolic compounds present in the extract. The administration of E. bicyclis significantly improved symptoms in a dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced colitis mouse model by reducing intestinal shortening, splenomegaly, and histological scores. Both cell and animal studies demonstrated that E. bicyclis suppressed the release of inflammatory cytokines, downregulated the mRNA expression of genes related to the mTOR pathway, and reduced the p-mTOR/mTOR ratio. Microbiota analysis revealed that, while the Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio was elevated in UC mice, E. bicyclis administration normalized this imbalance, with a notable increase in the abundance of beneficial probiotics such as Bifidobacterium bifidum. In conclusion, a phenolic-rich extract of E. bicyclis demonstrates significant potential as a dietary supplement to prevent and mitigate UC by modulating both the mTOR signaling pathway and gut microbiota composition. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bioactive Compounds in Foods: Functional Properties, Health Benefits and Disease Prevention: 2nd Edition)
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19 pages, 6470 KiB  
Article
Study on the Chemical Composition and Anti-Tumor Mechanisms of Clausena lansium Fruit By-Products: Based on LC-MS, Network Pharmacology Analysis, and Protein Target Validation
by Ziyue Zhang, Liangqian Zhang, Pengfei Wu, Yuan Tian, Yao Wen, Meina Xu, Peihao Xu, Ying Jiang, Nan Ma, Qi Wang and Wei Dai
Foods 2024, 13(23), 3878; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods13233878 - 30 Nov 2024
Viewed by 1362
Abstract
Clausena lansium (Lour.) Skeels, commonly known as Wampee, are valued for their edible and medicinal qualities, yet their pericarp and seeds are often discarded, resulting in wasted resources. This study investigates the anti-tumor potential of these by-products, focusing on their chemical composition and [...] Read more.
Clausena lansium (Lour.) Skeels, commonly known as Wampee, are valued for their edible and medicinal qualities, yet their pericarp and seeds are often discarded, resulting in wasted resources. This study investigates the anti-tumor potential of these by-products, focusing on their chemical composition and underlying mechanisms of action. A combination of metabolomics, network pharmacology, molecular docking, and experimental validation was employed in our study. Cytotoxicity screening demonstrated that the pericarp extract exhibited notable anti-tumor effects against MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells, while the seed extract showed no similar activity. Chemical profiling identified 122 compounds in the pericarp and seeds, with only 26.23% overlap, suggesting that distinct compounds may drive the pericarp’s anti-tumor activity. Network pharmacology and molecular docking analyses identified PTGER3, DRD2, and ADORA2A as key targets, with several alkaloids, flavonoids, coumarins, and sesquiterpenes exhibiting strong binding affinities to these proteins. Western blot analysis further validated that the pericarp extract upregulated DRD2 and downregulated ADORA2A, indicating a possible mechanism for its anticancer effects. These findings suggest that Wampee pericarp holds promise as a source of active compounds with therapeutic potential for breast cancer, with implications for its use in the food and pharmaceutical industries. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bioactive Compounds in Foods: Functional Properties, Health Benefits and Disease Prevention: 2nd Edition)
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