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Role of Natural Products in Human 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 September 2025 | Viewed by 528

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Biotechnology, College of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Korea University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
Interests: investigation of effects of natural compounds and extracts on metabolism and aging
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Agricultural Biology, National Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Wanju-gun, Jeonju 55365, Jeollabuk-do, Republic of Korea
Interests: metabolic regulation of natural compounds and extracts

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Natural substances exhibit diverse biological functions and play a crucial role in regulating cellular, organismal, and individual health. They can also exert potent biological effects. While pinpointing a precise molecular target within such extracts may be challenging, they still hold promise for therapeutic applications. This Special Issue focuses on investigating the biological activity of natural compounds from either plants, animals, insects, or microorganisms, emphasizing their clear and robust effects compared to existing therapies. State-of-the-art research including studies involving animals and humans will form a significant part of this Special Issue.

Prof. Dr. Sung-Joon Lee
Dr. Ji Hae Lee
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • natural substances
  • phytochemicals
  • chronic diseases
  • aging

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Review

26 pages, 1030 KiB  
Review
Natural Flavonoids for the Prevention of Sarcopenia: Therapeutic Potential and Mechanisms
by Ye Eun Yoon, Seong Hun Ju, Yebean Kim and Sung-Joon Lee
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2025, 26(15), 7458; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms26157458 (registering DOI) - 1 Aug 2025
Abstract
Sarcopenia, characterized by progressive skeletal muscle loss and functional decline, represents a major public heath challenge in aging populations. Despite increasing awareness, current management strategies—primarily resistance exercise and nutritional support—remain limited by accessibility, adherence, and inconsistent outcomes. This underscores the urgent need for [...] Read more.
Sarcopenia, characterized by progressive skeletal muscle loss and functional decline, represents a major public heath challenge in aging populations. Despite increasing awareness, current management strategies—primarily resistance exercise and nutritional support—remain limited by accessibility, adherence, and inconsistent outcomes. This underscores the urgent need for novel, effective, and scalable therapeutics. Flavonoids, a diverse class of plant-derived polyphenolic compounds, have attracted attention for their muti-targeted biological activities, including anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, metabolic, and myogenic effects. This review aims to evaluate the anti-sarcopenic potential of selected flavonoids—quercetin, rutin, kaempferol glycosides, baicalin, genkwanin, isoschaftoside, naringin, eriocitrin, and puerarin—based on recent preclinical findings and mechanistic insights. These compounds modulate key pathways involved in muscle homeostasis, such as NF-κB and Nrf2 signaling, AMPK and PI3K/Akt activation, mitochondrial biogenesis, proteosomal degradation, and satellite cell function. Importantly, since muscle wasting also features prominently in cancer cachexia—a distinct but overlapping syndrome—understanding flavonoid action may offer broader therapeutic relevance. By targeting shared molecular axes, flavonoids may provide a promising, biologically grounded approach to mitigating sarcopenia and the related muscle-wasting conditions. Further translational studies and clinical trials are warranted to assess their efficacy and safety in human populations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Role of Natural Products in Human Health and Disease)
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