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Bioactive Lipids and Cannabinoids, Key Players in Neuropsychiatric Disorders and Beyond

A special issue of Molecules (ISSN 1420-3049). This special issue belongs to the section "Bioactive Lipids".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 August 2023) | Viewed by 2129

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
1. Department of Physiology & Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, University of Malta, Msida, Malta
2. Neuroscience Division, School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
Interests: serotonin; GABA; dopamine; epilepsy; addiction; mood disorders; electrophysiology; habenula; basal ganglia; serotonin2 receptors
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Guest Editor
1. Department of Biotechnological and Applied Clinical Sciences, University of L’Aquila, L’Aquila, Italy
2. European Center for Brain Research, Santa Lucia Foundation IRCCS, Rome, Italy
Interests: arachidonate cascade; bioactive lipids; biomarkers; cell membranes; endocannabinoids; resolvins; signal transduction
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Our body possesses different endogenous signaling systems based on bioactive lipids of which the most investigated class is composed of endocannabinoids (eCBs), known as the endocannabinoid system (ECS). Current knowledge about the pathophysiological role of the main classes of endogenous bioactive lipids, namely glycerophospholipids/sphingolipids, classical eicosanoids and pro-resolving lipid mediators (SPMs), is still limited and further research on this subject is needed. Nevertheless, it is now clear that dysregulated lipid homeostasis contributes greatly to the pathogenesis and even progression of different neurodegenerative diseases.

The elements of ECS have been studied for a long time because they are targeted by ∆-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and other plant-derived cannabinoids (phytocannabinoids) and compelling evidence shows that they play a critical role in various developmental processes and brain disorders. While cannabis has an extremely bright future for therapeutic applications, it is not a miracle drug. Phytocannabinoids have been used in medicine for centuries, and over the past decade, the focus has been on their broad therapeutic potential, particularly in seizure management.

The objective of this Special Issue collection is to bring together relevant international researchers from the lipidomics and cannabinoid field to put together an international collection of well-informed opinions, perspectives, and original research articles that evaluate bioactive lipids and cannabinoid compounds in health and disease state.

We invite you to submit contributions in the form of reviews or original research articles that provide new insights into this intriguing research area.

You may choose our Joint Special Issue in IJMS.

Prof. Dr. Giuseppe Di Giovanni
Prof. Dr. Mauro Maccarrone
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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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. Molecules is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

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

  • lipidomics
  • bioactive lipids
  • glycerophospholipids/sphingolipids
  • classical eicosanoids
  • pro-resolving lipid mediators
  • cannabinoids
  • glycerophospholipids
  • sphingolipids
  • classical eicosanoids
  • specialized pro-resolving mediators
  • phytocannabinoids
  • canabidivarin
  • cannabidiol
  • dosing
  • tetrahydrocannabinol
  • tetrahydrocannabivarin
  • chemical structures
  • endocannabinoid system
  • CNS diseases
  • gut microbiota
  • microbiome-gut-brain axis
  • CB2 receptor agonists
  • synthetic cannabinoids
  • neuroprotective
  • neuroprotection
  • neurodegeneration
  • neuroinflammation
  • Parkinson's disease
  • Huntington's disease
  • Tourette's syndrome
  • adolescent
  • neurodevelopment
  • dopamine
  • pre-frontal Cortex
  • schizophrenia
  • addiction
  • anxiety
  • biomarkers
  • autism spectrum disorder
  • synthetic cannabinoid use disorder
  • cannabinoid use disorder
  • global DNA methylation
  • NR3C1-specific DNA methylation
  • single nucleotide polymorphism
  • oxidative and nitrosative stress
  • inflammation
  • psychiatry
  • immunology
  • hematology
  • human metabolism
  • epilepsy
  • fertility
  • low birthweight
  • marijuana
  • maternal cannabis use
  • menopause
  • preterm birth
  • reproductive health
  • small for gestational age
  • substance use
  • fear
  • anxiety
  • networks
  • psychopharmacology

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

10 pages, 1936 KiB  
Article
Ferulic Acid Induces Autophagy and Apoptosis in Colon Cancer CT26 Cells via the MAPK Pathway
by Shanbin Chen, Dong Zhao, Chunguang Luan, Jia Zheng, Wei Liu, Zheng Feng, Ruiqi Luo, Xinglin Han and Deliang Wang
Molecules 2023, 28(16), 6014; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules28166014 - 11 Aug 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1627
Abstract
Ferulic acid (FA) is a bioactive compound found in traditional Chinese herbal medicine; for example, it is present in Xinjiang Ferula, but also in strong-flavor Chinese baijiu. FA has been shown to play a crucial role in treating oxidative stress, skin whitening, and [...] Read more.
Ferulic acid (FA) is a bioactive compound found in traditional Chinese herbal medicine; for example, it is present in Xinjiang Ferula, but also in strong-flavor Chinese baijiu. FA has been shown to play a crucial role in treating oxidative stress, skin whitening, and eye diseases. In this study, the potential role of FA as a means of inducing apoptosis and inhibiting colon cancer induced by the transplantation of CT26 cells was investigated. The results show that FA adjuvant treatment caused an upregulation in the expression of genes related to autophagy while simultaneously suppressing the expression of inflammatory response elements and improving the bodyweight, glutamic pyruvic transaminase (ALT), and glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase (AST) in vivo. Furthermore, FA inhibited the proliferation of CT26 cells and induced apoptosis, specifically by activating the phosphorylation of ERK and JNK to enhance the essential proteins BCL-2 and BAX in the apoptosis pathway. These results suggest that FA could be a promising auxiliary therapeutic agent for the treatment of colon cancer. Further research is needed to better understand the mechanisms underlying the beneficial effects of FA and its synergistic effects with other compounds. Full article
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