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Comeback to Natural Therapeutics in Modern Age: Insights into Molecular Modes of Action of Natural Products 2.0

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A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Pharmacology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (25 January 2024) | Viewed by 11427

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Dejan Stojković

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Guest Editor

Mycological Laboratory, Department of Plant Physiology, Institute for Biological Research "Siniša Stanković"—National Institute of Republic of Serbia, University of Belgrade, Bulevar Despota Stefana 142, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia
Interests: mushrooms; mycomedicines; mycofood
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Marija Ivanov

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Guest Editor

Mycological Laboratory, Department of Plant Physiology, Institute for Biological Research "Siniša Stanković"—National Institute of Republic of Serbia, University of Belgrade, Bulevar despota Stefana 142, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia
Interests: antibiofilm activity; mechanisms of activity; antimicrobials; resistant pathogens; natural products
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Dr. Ana Ćirić

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Guest Editor

Institute for Biological Research \"Siniša Stanković\"—National Institute of Republic of Serbia, University of Belgrade, Bulevar despota Stefana 142, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia
Interests: chemistry of natural products; antimicrobial activity
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Extensive studies in ethnobiology have provided modern insights into old remedies that were used throughout history to treat diseases that were spread in ancient world, but as well in the world of today. Without the tools of modern synthetic chemistry, our ancestors were forced to treat different ailments with available natural products such as mushrooms, plants, insects etc. The modern age provides scientific insights into these old remedies and usually confirms the application of specific products for the treatment of disorders and diseases. Nowadays, we are able to identify active principles in the natural preparations and isolate the single compounds responsible for such action and to identify mechanisms of activity on the biochemical, cellular and molecular levels.

This Special Issue will cover the following topics, including, but is not limited to:

Chemical composition of natural matrices;
Isolated compounds from natural sources;
Biological activity;
Molecular modes of action of natural products;
Therapeutic potential of natural matrices in antimicrobial therapy, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, cancer, neurodegenerative diseases etc.
Natural products must have a clear chemical formula, not a mixture.

Dr. Dejan Stojković
Dr. Marija Ivanov
Dr. Ana Ćirić
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. International Journal of Molecular Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. There is an Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal. For details about the APC please see here. 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.

Related Special Issue

Comeback to Natural Therapeutics in Modern Age: Insights into Molecular Modes of Action of Natural Products in International Journal of Molecular Sciences (8 articles)

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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20 pages, 5437 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Poncirus trifoliata (L.) Raf. Seed Extract Induces Cell Cycle Arrest and Apoptosis in the Androgen Receptor Positive LNCaP Prostate Cancer Cells

by Francesca Giordano, Stefano Comità, Giulia Venneri, Vittoria Rago, Giuseppina Daniela Naimo, Francesca De Amicis, Anna De Bartolo, Rosa Tundis, Loredana Mauro and Maria Luisa Panno

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(22), 16351; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms242216351 - 15 Nov 2023

Viewed by 893

Abstract

Prostate cancer (PCa) is the second most common male cancer. Its incidence derives from the interaction between modifiable and non-modifiable factors. The progression of prostate cancer into a more aggressive phenotype is associated with chronic inflammation and increased ROS production. For their biological properties, some phytochemicals from fruits and vegetable emerge as a promise strategy for cancer progression delay. These bioactive compounds are found in the highest amounts in peels and seeds. Poncirus trifoliata (L.) Raf. (PT) has been widely used in traditional medicine and retains anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, and anticancer effects. The seeds of P. trifoliata were exhaustively extracted by maceration with methanol as the solvent. The cell proliferation rate was performed by MTT and flow cytometry, while the apoptosis signals were analyzed by Western blotting and TUNEL assay. P. trifoliata seed extract reduced LNCaP and PC3 cell viability and induced cell cycle arrest at the G0/G1phase and apoptosis. In addition, a reduction in the AKT/mTOR pathway has been observed together with the up-regulation of stress-activated MAPK (p38 and c-Jun N-terminal kinase). Based on the study, the anti-growth effects of PT seed extract on prostate tumor cells give indications on the potential of the phytochemical drug for the treatment of this type of cancer. However, future in-depth studies are necessary to identify which components are mainly responsible for the anti-neoplastic response. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Comeback to Natural Therapeutics in Modern Age: Insights into Molecular Modes of Action of Natural Products 2.0)

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14 pages, 2033 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Methodological Approach to Identify Natural Compounds with Antifibrotic Activity and the Potential to Treat Pulmonary Fibrosis Using Single-Cell Sequencing and Primary Human Lung Macrophages

by Simon H. Apte, Penny L. Groves, Maxine E. Tan, Viviana P. Lutzky, Tharushi de Silva, Joshua N. Monteith, Stephanie T. Yerkovich, Brendan J. O’Sullivan, Rohan A. Davis and Daniel C. Chambers

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(20), 15104; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms242015104 - 12 Oct 2023

Viewed by 1291

Abstract

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is the most common and lethal form of the interstitial pneumonias. The cause of the disease is unknown, and new therapies that stop or reverse disease progression are desperately needed. Recent advances in next-generation sequencing have led to an abundance of freely available, clinically relevant, organ-and-disease-specific, single-cell transcriptomic data, including studies from patients with IPF. We mined data from published IPF data sets and identified gene signatures delineating pro-fibrotic or antifibrotic macrophages and then used the Enrichr platform to identify compounds with the potential to drive the macrophages toward the antifibrotic transcriptotype. We then began testing these compounds in a novel in vitro phenotypic drug screening assay utilising human lung macrophages recovered from whole-lung lavage of patients with silicosis. As predicted by the Enrichr tool, glitazones potently modulated macrophage gene expression towards the antifibrotic phenotype. Next, we assayed a subset of the NatureBank pure compound library and identified the cyclobutane lignan, endiandrin A, which was isolated from the roots of the endemic Australian rainforest plant, Endiandra anthropophagorum, with a similar antifibrotic potential to the glitazones. These methods open new avenues of exploration to find treatments for lung fibrosis. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Comeback to Natural Therapeutics in Modern Age: Insights into Molecular Modes of Action of Natural Products 2.0)

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14 pages, 879 KiB

Open AccessCommunication

A Citrus and Pomegranate Complex Reduces Methylglyoxal in Healthy Elderly Subjects: Secondary Analysis of a Double-Blind Randomized Cross-Over Clinical Trial

by Katarzyna Bednarska, Izabela Fecka, Jean L. J. M. Scheijen, Sanne Ahles, Philippe Vangrieken and Casper G. Schalkwijk

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(17), 13168; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms241713168 - 24 Aug 2023

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1610

Abstract

Reactive α-dicarbonyls (α-DCs), such as methylglyoxal (MGO), glyoxal (GO), and 3-deoxyglucosone (3-DG), are potent precursors in the formation of advanced glycation end products (AGEs). In particular, MGO and MGO-derived AGEs are thought to be involved in the development of vascular complications in diabetes. Experimental studies showed that citrus and pomegranate polyphenols can scavenge α-DCs. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of a citrus and pomegranate complex (CPC) on the α-DCs plasma levels in a double-blind, placebo-controlled cross-over trial, where thirty-six elderly subjects were enrolled. They received either 500 mg of Citrus sinensis peel extract and 200 mg of Punica granatum concentrate in CPC capsules or placebo capsules for 4 weeks, with a 4-week washout period in between. For the determination of α-DCs concentrations, liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry was used. Following four weeks of CPC supplementation, plasma levels of MGO decreased by 9.8% (−18.7 nmol/L; 95% CI: −36.7, −0.7 nmol/L; p = 0.042). Our findings suggest that CPC supplementation may represent a promising strategy for mitigating the conditions associated with MGO involvement. This study was registered on clinicaltrials.gov as NCT03781999. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Comeback to Natural Therapeutics in Modern Age: Insights into Molecular Modes of Action of Natural Products 2.0)

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Review

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26 pages, 1842 KiB

Open AccessReview

The Effects of Momordica charantia on Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus and Alzheimer’s Disease

by Erika Richter, Thangiah Geetha, Donna Burnett, Tom L. Broderick and Jeganathan Ramesh Babu

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(5), 4643; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms24054643 - 28 Feb 2023

Cited by 10 | Viewed by 6726

Abstract

T2DM is a complex metabolic disorder characterized by hyperglycemia and glucose intolerance. It is recognized as one of the most common metabolic disorders and its prevalence continues to raise major concerns in healthcare globally. Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a gradual neurodegenerative brain disorder characterized by the chronic loss of cognitive and behavioral function. Recent research suggests a link between the two diseases. Considering the shared characteristics of both diseases, common therapeutic and preventive agents are effective. Certain bioactive compounds such as polyphenols, vitamins, and minerals found in vegetables and fruits can have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects that allow for preventative or potential treatment options for T2DM and AD. Recently, it has been estimated that up to one-third of patients with diabetes use some form of complementary and alternative medicine. Increasing evidence from cell or animal models suggests that bioactive compounds may have a direct effect on reducing hyperglycemia, amplifying insulin secretion, and blocking the formation of amyloid plaques. One plant that has received substantial recognition for its numerous bioactive properties is Momordica charantia (M. charantia), otherwise known as bitter melon, bitter gourd, karela, and balsam pear. M. charantia is utilized for its glucose-lowering effects and is often used as a treatment for diabetes and related metabolic conditions amongst the indigenous populations of Asia, South America, India, and East Africa. Several pre-clinical studies have documented the beneficial effects of M. charantia through various postulated mechanisms. Throughout this review, the underlying molecular mechanisms of the bioactive components of M. charantia will be highlighted. More studies will be necessary to establish the clinical efficacy of the bioactive compounds within M. charantia to effectively determine its pertinence in the treatment of metabolic disorders and neurodegenerative diseases, such as T2DM and AD. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Comeback to Natural Therapeutics in Modern Age: Insights into Molecular Modes of Action of Natural Products 2.0)

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