Natural Products and Muscle Health

Dear Colleagues,

Skeletal muscle plays a central role in physical activity, energy metabolism, and overall health, yet it is highly susceptible to aging, inactivity, inflammation, and metabolic stress. The loss of muscle mass and function, collectively known as sarcopenia or muscle atrophy, represents a major contributor to frailty, disability, and chronic disease. Natural products and bioactive compounds derived from medicinal plants, herbs, and functional foods have gained attention as potential interventions for preserving or restoring muscle health. These natural compounds exert multifaceted effects by modulating signaling pathways involved in protein synthesis and degradation (Akt/mTOR, AMPK/FoxO, MAPK), improving mitochondrial biogenesis, and alleviating inflammation and oxidative stress.

This Special Issue aims to gather recent research and reviews exploring the beneficial effects of natural products and their active ingredients on muscle health. Submissions addressing mechanistic insights, molecular targets, in vivo efficacy, bioavailability, and translational potential are highly encouraged. By integrating findings from basic, preclinical, and clinical studies, this Special Issue seeks to highlight natural product-based strategies for preventing or reversing muscle atrophy and promoting muscle regeneration.

Dr. Ju-Young Kim
Guest Editor

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 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

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. Nutrients 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 2900 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.