Mechanisms of Chronic Diseases and Intervention Strategies: The Role of Bioactive Compounds in Foods and Herbal Extracts
A special issue of Molecules (ISSN 1420-3049). This special issue belongs to the section "Natural Products Chemistry".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2026 | Viewed by 178
Special Issue Editors
Interests: natural products; nutrition intervention; pharmacological properties; health risk assessment; nuclear receptors
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: natural products; traditional Chinese medicine; chronic diseases; neuropharmacology; gut microbiota; multi-target modulation
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Chronic diseases, encompassing a wide spectrum of conditions such as neurological, pulmonary, metabolic, cardiovascular, and age-related disorders, represent the leading global health challenge of our time. The complex pathogenesis of these diseases often involves intertwined mechanisms like inflammation, oxidative stress, immune dysregulation, and cellular metabolism dysfunction, necessitating innovative and multi-target intervention strategies.
In this context, bioactive compounds derived from foods and herbal extract sources have garnered significant research interest. These natural agents offer rich chemical diversity and the potential for systemic, network-based regulation of biological pathways. There is a growing body of evidence supporting their preventive and therapeutic roles in modulating the fundamental processes underlying various chronic conditions. However, a deeper understanding of their precise molecular mechanisms, target interactions, and clinical translation potential is urgently needed to bridge traditional wisdom with modern evidence-based medicine.
This Special Issue, titled “Mechanisms of Chronic Diseases and Intervention Strategies: The Role of Bioactive Compounds in Foods and Herbal Extracts”, aims to compile high-quality research that explores the intersection of chronic disease pathophysiology and natural product intervention. We seek to foster a comprehensive dialogue on how these compounds exert their protective and therapeutic effects.
We welcome the submission of original research articles and comprehensive reviews that address, but are not limited to, the following topics:
- Mechanistic studies on the pathogenesis of chronic diseases (e.g., neurodegenerative diseases, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular diseases, and autoimmune disorders).
- The discovery, characterization, and efficacy evaluation of bioactive compounds from foods and herbal extract sources (e.g., polyphenols, polysaccharides, flavonoids, alkaloids, and saponins) against chronic diseases.
- Systems-level investigations into the protective effects and mechanisms of biocompounds from herbal extracts in chronic disease models, utilizing omics technologies (pharmacomics, metabolomics, and proteomics) and network pharmacology.
- Studies on multi-target modulation, including effects on the gut microbiota, immune–inflammation axis, cellular senescence, and apoptosis pathways.
We seek to advance the scientific understanding and application of natural products in the ongoing fight against chronic diseases and look forward to hearing from you.
Prof. Dr. Jie Zhang
Dr. Xiang Li
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
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Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). 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
- chronic diseases
- multi-target intervention
- bioactive compounds
- herbal extracts
- omics technologies
- multi-target modulation
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