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Medicinal Plants and Bioactive Compounds in Health and Disease

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 May 2025 | Viewed by 1905

Special Issue Editor

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Chronic degenerative diseases, such as obesity, diabetes, metabolic syndrome, metabolic-associated fat liver disease, cardiovascular diseases and cancer, have reached alarming proportions worldwide. Excessive consumption of processed foods rich in sugar and fat, associated with a sedentary lifestyle, predicts and worsens these conditions. Inflammatory aspects and oxidative stress also contribute primarily to the worsening of these conditions. Allopathic treatments are of little efficiency if they are not associated with nutritional support measures, physical exercise and other therapeutic adjuvants such as bioactive compounds extracted from plants. Therefore, the objective of this special edition is to focus attention on measures that can help reduce the risks of these diseases.

Leading by Prof. Dr. Sandra Barbalho and assisting by our Topical Advisory Panel Member Dr. Adriano Cressoni Araújo and Dr. Claudia Rucco P. Detregiachi (University of Marilia (UNIMAR)), studies with nutritional intervention, physical exercise and treatments with medicinal plants and bioactive compounds are welcome.

Prof. Dr. Sandra Barbalho
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • obesity
  • diabetes
  • metabolic syndrome
  • metabolic-associated fat liver disease
  • inflammatory processes
  • free radicals and oxidative stress
  • phyto-compounds
  • medicinal plants
  • nutrition
  • physical exercises

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

16 pages, 8372 KiB  
Article
Vine Tea Extract (VTE) Inhibits High-Fat Diet-Induced Adiposity: Evidence of VTE’s Anti-Obesity Effects In Vitro and In Vivo
by Wonchul Lim, Seongmin Choi, Jinhak Kim, Kwang-Soo Baek, Minkuk Park, Gakyung Lee and Tae-Gyu Lim
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2024, 25(22), 12042; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms252212042 - 9 Nov 2024
Viewed by 455
Abstract
This study focused on evaluating the anti-obesity effects of an extract from Ampelopsis grossedentata (Hand.-Mazz.) W. T. Wang, also known as vine tea, in mature adipocytes and high-fat diet-induced obese mice. Vine tea extract (VTE) effectively decreased lipid accumulation in mature adipocytes without [...] Read more.
This study focused on evaluating the anti-obesity effects of an extract from Ampelopsis grossedentata (Hand.-Mazz.) W. T. Wang, also known as vine tea, in mature adipocytes and high-fat diet-induced obese mice. Vine tea extract (VTE) effectively decreased lipid accumulation in mature adipocytes without cytotoxicity, as confirmed by the regulation of several factors associated with adipogenesis, lipogenesis, or lipolysis. Subsequently, in a 12-week experiment with obese mice, oral VTE administration significantly reduced body weight gain induced with high-fat diet intake. Au-topsy findings showed reduced fat accumulation in various areas without liver damage. The VTE-administered group showed lower serum LDL levels, while increasing HDL, than the high-fat diet-administered group. Analysis of adipose tissue biomarkers indicated VTE’s ability to inhibit adipogenesis and lipogenesis, promote lipolysis, and regulate energy metabolism, contributing to reduced adiposity induced by the consumption of a high-fat diet. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Medicinal Plants and Bioactive Compounds in Health and Disease)
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20 pages, 3038 KiB  
Article
Neuroprotection by Anethum graveolens (Dill) Seeds and Its Phytocompounds in SH-SY5Y Neuroblastoma Cell Lines and Acellular Assays
by Himadri Sharma, Hyewon Yang, Niti Sharma and Seong Soo A. An
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2024, 25(13), 7104; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms25137104 - 28 Jun 2024
Viewed by 1069
Abstract
Neurodegeneration diseases (NDs) are a group of complex diseases primarily characterized by progressive loss of neurons affecting mental function and movement. Oxidative stress is one of the factors contributing to the pathogenesis of NDs, including Alzheimer’s disease (AD). These reactive species disturb mitochondrial [...] Read more.
Neurodegeneration diseases (NDs) are a group of complex diseases primarily characterized by progressive loss of neurons affecting mental function and movement. Oxidative stress is one of the factors contributing to the pathogenesis of NDs, including Alzheimer’s disease (AD). These reactive species disturb mitochondrial function and accelerate other undesirable conditions including tau phosphorylation, inflammation, and cell death. Therefore, preventing oxidative stress is one of the imperative methods in the treatment of NDs. To accomplish this, we prepared hexane and ethyl acetate extracts of Anethum graveolens (dill) and identified the major phyto-components (apiol, carvone, and dihydrocarvone) by GC-MS. The extracts and major bioactives were assessed for neuroprotective potential and mechanism in hydrogen peroxide-induced oxidative stress in the SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cell model and other biochemical assays. The dill (extracts and bioactives) provided statistically significant neuroprotection from 0.1 to 30 µg/mL by mitigating ROS levels, restoring mitochondrial membrane potential, reducing lipid peroxidation, and reviving the glutathione ratio. They moderately inhibited acetylcholine esterase (IC50 dill extracts 400–500 µg/mL; carvone 275.7 µg/mL; apiole 388.3 µg/mL), displayed mild anti-Aβ1–42 fibrilization (DHC 26.6%) and good anti-oligomerization activity (>40% by dill-EA, carvone, and apiole). Such multifactorial neuroprotective displayed by dill and bioactives would help develop a safe, low-cost, and small-molecule drug for NDs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Medicinal Plants and Bioactive Compounds in Health and Disease)
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