Medicinal Plants, Animal-Derived Products, and Natural Compounds: Roles in Health and Disease

Dear Colleagues,

Chronic degenerative diseases—including cardiovascular and metabolic disorders, fatty liver disease, neurodegenerative conditions, and various forms of cancer—represent one of the most pressing public health challenges worldwide. Their incidence continues to rise due to aging populations, sedentary lifestyles, and unbalanced diets . A growing body of evidence highlights the central roles of inflammation, oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, and metabolic imbalance in the onset and progression of these conditions.

Although conventional (allopathic) pharmacological treatments remain the cornerstone of clinical management, their efficacy is often limited by side effects, reduced long-term effectiveness, and the multifactorial nature of chronic diseases. Consequently, there is increasing scientific interest in integrative and complementary approaches, including lifestyle modifications, nutritional interventions, and the therapeutic use of natural bioactive compounds.

Natural compounds derived from plants, animals, and marine organisms have demonstrated remarkable biological activities with potential relevance to the prevention and treatment of chronic diseases. Beyond traditional phytochemicals, such as polyphenols, flavonoids, terpenoids, and alkaloids, attention has expanded to animal- and marine-derived bioactives, including bee venom peptides, snake toxins, marine alkaloids, and enzymatic proteins. These substances exhibit potent anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, immunomodulatory, neuroprotective, and anticancer effects by modulating specific molecular pathways, including redox-sensitive transcription factors, cytokine signaling, and cell death or survival cascades.

In addition, the development of nanoformulations and advanced delivery systems is enhancing the bioavailability, stability, and targeted delivery of these natural substances, opening new perspectives for translational applications and clinical validation.

This Special Issue is supervised by Prof. Dr. Vitor Engrácia Valenti and assisted by our Topical Advisory Panel Members, Dr. Sandra Barbalho and Dr. Lucas Fornari Laurindo (Department of Biochemistry and Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Universidade de Marília).

The Issue aims to broaden the scientific understanding of natural bioactive compounds from plants, animals, and marine sources, with an emphasis on their molecular mechanisms of action, pharmacological properties, and potential therapeutic and preventive roles in chronic diseases.

Experimental and clinical studies, reviews, and mechanistic insights are welcome. By integrating multidisciplinary perspectives, this Special Issue seeks to highlight the vast therapeutic potential of natural bioactive compounds and promote their rational development as complementary tools for the prevention and treatment of chronic diseases.

Dr. Vitor Engrácia Valenti
Guest Editor

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