Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
8.1
4.9
Journals
IJMS
Special Issues
Neuroprotective Effects of Food Ingredients
ijms-logo
Submit to Special Issue Submit Abstract to Special Issue Review for IJMS Propose a Special Issue

Journal Menu

► Journal Menu

Journal Browser

► Journal Browser
share announcement

Neuroprotective Effects of Food Ingredients

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 October 2025 | Viewed by 3214

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Elena Ibáñez

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Laboratory of Foodomics, CIAL, CSIC, Nicolas Cabrera 9, 28049 Madrid, Spain
Interests: biorefinery; green processes; sustainable processes; plants; algae; agricultural by-products; chemical characterization
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Alejandro Cifuentes

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Laboratory of Foodomics, CIAL, National Research Council of Spain (CSIC), Madrid, Spain
Interests: foodomics; metabolomics; molecular mechanisms; neuroprotection; sustainable biomass; advanced chemical characterization
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Neurodegenerative disorders, such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease, are a group of diseases characterized by the progressive loss of neurons from different regions of the brain, causing progressive cognitive impairment, mental deterioration and degeneration of brain tissue. Neurodegenerative disorders share some molecular and cellular characteristics, such as a multifactorial character, related to oxidative stress and free radical formation, neuroinflammation, mitochondrial dysfunction, etc. Presently, there are no therapeutic approaches to cure or even halt the progression of these disorders. On the other hand, external factors related to lifestyle, such as diet, have been postulated as preventive factors in neurodegeneration; in this regard, bioactive food ingredients, such as terpenoids, lipids, phenolic compounds, carotenoids, polysaccharides, peptides, etc., may interfere with different molecular mechanisms related to the progression of such diseases, considering their important associated biological activities. Although huge efforts have been focused on finding new possible therapeutics’ treatments, there is still a long way to go before we completely understand the molecular action of dietary compounds or food ingredients in the prevention of neurodegenerative disorders.

In this Special Issue, we invite researchers to contribute original research articles, as well as review articles, regarding the biological effect of food ingredients and bioactives from agri-food by-products in the prevention of neurodegeneration.

Topics include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Studies (in vitro, in vivo, animal, pre-clinical, clinical) regarding the effect of food ingredients and bioactive compounds from agri-food by-products in the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases;
  • The role of food ingredients and bioactive compounds from agri-food by-products against oxidative stress in neurodegeneration;
  • The role of food ingredients and bioactive compounds from agri-food by-products against inflammation in neurodegeneration;
  • The development of new food ingredients targeting multifactorial neurodegeneration;
  • Transformation of food ingredients during digestion and its effects on counteracting neurodegeneration;
  • New mechanisms of food ingredients and bioactive compounds from agri-food by-products in crossing the blood–brain barrier (BBB);
  • Omics approaches including foodomics for neuroprotection studies.

This Special Issue is supervised by Prof. Elena Ibáñez & Professor Alejandro and assisted by our Topical Advisory Panel Member Dr. Suman Chowdhury (Department of Pharmacology, Physiology, and Neuroscience, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Newark, NJ 07103, USA).

Prof. Dr. Elena Ibáñez
Prof. Dr. Alejandro Cifuentes
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.

 

Keywords

  • neuroprotection
  • Parkinson
  • Alzheimer
  • bioactive compounds
  • agri-food by-products
  • chemical characterization
  • foodomics
  • metabolomics
  • molecular mechanisms

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.

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

Published Papers (2 papers)

Download All Papers
Order results
Result details
Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

22 pages, 1658 KiB  
Article
Optimization of a Pressurized Extraction Process Based on a Ternary Solvent System for the Recovery of Neuroprotective Compounds from Eucalyptus marginata Leaves
by Soumaya Hasni, Hajer Riguene, Jose A. Mendiola, Elena Ibáñez, Lidia Montero, Gloria Domínguez-Rodríguez, Hanene Ghazghazi, Ghayth Rigane and Ridha Ben Salem
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2025, 26(1), 94; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms26010094 - 26 Dec 2024
Viewed by 865
Abstract
Green chemistry focuses on reducing the environmental impacts of chemicals through sustainable practices. Traditional methods for extracting bioactive compounds from Eucalyptus marginata leaves, such as hydro-distillation and organic solvent extraction, have limitations, including long extraction times, high energy consumption, and potential toxic solvent [...] Read more.
Green chemistry focuses on reducing the environmental impacts of chemicals through sustainable practices. Traditional methods for extracting bioactive compounds from Eucalyptus marginata leaves, such as hydro-distillation and organic solvent extraction, have limitations, including long extraction times, high energy consumption, and potential toxic solvent residues. This study explored the use of supercritical fluid extraction (SFE), pressurized liquid extraction (PLE), and gas-expanded liquid (GXL) processes to improve efficiency and selectivity. These techniques were combined in a single mixture design, where CO2 was used in the experiments carried out under SFE, while water and ethanol were used for the PLE and GXL experiments by varying the concentration of the solvents to cover all the extraction possibilities. The neuroprotective activity of the extracts was evaluated by measuring their antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and acetylcholinesterase inhibition properties. The optimization resulted in a novel GXL extraction with an optimal ternary mixture of 27% CO2, 55% ethanol, and 18% water, with a high degree of desirability (R2 = 88.59%). Chromatographic analysis carried out by GC-MS and HPLC-ESI-MS/MS identified over 49 metabolites. The designed sustainable extraction process offers a promising approach for producing phenolic-rich plant extracts in industrial applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Neuroprotective Effects of Food Ingredients)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

21 pages, 5090 KiB  
Article
Polysaccharides from Basella alba Protect Post-Mitotic Neurons against Cell Cycle Re-Entry and Apoptosis Induced by the Amyloid-Beta Peptide by Blocking Sonic Hedgehog Expression
by Bo-Yu Hou, Ming-Hsuan Wu, Hui-Yu Hsu, Yi-Chun Lin and Ding-I Yang
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2024, 25(13), 7316; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms25137316 - 3 Jul 2024
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1678
Abstract
The amyloid-beta peptide (Aβ) is the neurotoxic component in senile plaques of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) brains. Previously we have reported that Aβ toxicity is mediated by the induction of sonic hedgehog (SHH) to trigger cell cycle re-entry (CCR) and apoptosis in post-mitotic neurons. [...] Read more.
The amyloid-beta peptide (Aβ) is the neurotoxic component in senile plaques of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) brains. Previously we have reported that Aβ toxicity is mediated by the induction of sonic hedgehog (SHH) to trigger cell cycle re-entry (CCR) and apoptosis in post-mitotic neurons. Basella alba is a vegetable whose polysaccharides carry immunomodulatory and anti-cancer actions, but their protective effects against neurodegeneration have never been reported. Herein, we tested whether polysaccharides derived from Basella alba (PPV-6) may inhibit Aβ toxicity and explored its underlying mechanisms. In differentiated rat cortical neurons, Aβ25-35 reduced cell viability, damaged neuronal structure, and compromised mitochondrial bioenergetic functions, all of which were recovered by PPV-6. Immunocytochemistry and western blotting revealed that Aβ25-35-mediated induction of cell cycle markers including cyclin D1, proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), and histone H3 phosphorylated at Ser-10 (p-Histone H3) in differentiated neurons was all suppressed by PPV-6, along with mitigation of caspase-3 cleavage. Further studies revealed that PPV-6 inhibited Aβ25-35 induction of SHH; indeed, PPV-6 was capable of suppressing neuronal CCR and apoptosis triggered by the exogenous N-terminal fragment of sonic hedgehog (SHH-N). Our findings demonstrated that, in the fully differentiated neurons, PPV-6 exerts protective actions against Aβ neurotoxicity via the downregulation of SHH to suppress neuronal CCR and apoptosis. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Neuroprotective Effects of Food Ingredients)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:
 
Displaying articles 1-2
Back to TopTop