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Phytochemicals: Emerging Approaches to the Fight Against Aging and Aging-Related Diseases

A special issue of Nutrients (ISSN 2072-6643). This special issue belongs to the section "Phytochemicals and Human Health".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 25 June 2025 | Viewed by 3308

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Food Nutrition and Human Health, Department of Nutrition and Health, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100083, China
Interests: cardiovascular disease; atherosclerosis; vascular remodeling; mitochondria; hypertension; cell signaling; mTOR; iron metabolism
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Co-Guest Editor
Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Food Nutrition and Human Health, Department of Nutrition and Health, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China
Interests: development of anti-aging compounds; senolytics; senomorphics; chemical biology; activity-based protein profiling; target protein identification
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Population aging has become a global issue. Aging is a gradual and irreversible pathophysiological process, with declines in tissue and cell functions, and represents the dominant risk in various aging-related diseases. Typical aging-related diseases, such as neurodegenerative diseases, cardiovascular diseases, metabolic diseases, musculoskeletal diseases, and immune system diseases, pose a serious threat to human health and a challenge to the development of effective intervention strategies. In recent years, increasing evidence has emerged indicating that phytochemicals (plant-based bioactive compounds) are beneficial in delaying individual aging and reducing the occurrence of age-related diseases, rendering them a promising anti-aging approach. For example, a series of small molecules derived from plant polyphenols known as senolytics and senomorphics, which specifically target senescent cells, have been demonstrated to be effective in extending both healthspan and lifespan, alleviating idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and osteoarthritis in animal models. Nevertheless, the search is ongoing for safe and effective phytochemicals with application value, as well as their protein targets and mechanisms of action, in interventions for aging and aging-related diseases.

Contributions to this Special Issue should further explore the fields of phytochemicals in aging and aging-related diseases and provide a theoretical and molecular basis for developing new strategies for human health and treating aging-related diseases. We welcome well-designed research articles and reviews on these, and related, topics, especially at the molecular level.

Dr. Yongting Luo
Dr. Yinhua Zhu
Guest Editors

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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 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.

Keywords

  • aging
  • aging-related diseases
  • phytochemicals
  • neurodegenerative diseases
  • cardiovascular diseases
  • metabolic diseases
  • musculoskeletal diseases
  • immune system disease
  • lifespan
  • healthspan
  • small molecules
  • senolytics
  • senomorphics
  • protein targets
  • mechanisms of action

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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20 pages, 3284 KiB  
Article
Oral Asiatic Acid Improves Cognitive Function and Modulates Antioxidant and Mitochondrial Pathways in Female 5xFAD Mice
by Samantha Varada, Stephen R. Chamberlin, Lillie Bui, Mikah S. Brandes, Noah Gladen-Kolarsky, Christopher J. Harris, Wyatt Hack, Cody J. Neff, Barbara H. Brumbach, Amala Soumyanath, Joseph F. Quinn and Nora E. Gray
Nutrients 2025, 17(4), 729; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu17040729 - 19 Feb 2025
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Abstract
Background/Objectives: Extracts of the plant Centella asiatica can enhance mitochondrial function, promote antioxidant activity and improve cognitive deficits. Asiatic acid (AA) is one of the constituent triterpene compounds present in the plant. In this study, we explore the effects of AA on brain [...] Read more.
Background/Objectives: Extracts of the plant Centella asiatica can enhance mitochondrial function, promote antioxidant activity and improve cognitive deficits. Asiatic acid (AA) is one of the constituent triterpene compounds present in the plant. In this study, we explore the effects of AA on brain mitochondrial function, antioxidant response and cognition in a beta-amyloid (Aβ)-overexpressing 5xFAD mouse line. Methods: Six- to seven-month-old 5xFAD mice were treated with 1% AA for 4 weeks. In the last week of treatment, associative memory was assessed along with mitochondrial bioenergetics and the expression of mitochondrial and antioxidant response genes from isolated cortical synaptosomes. The Aβ plaque burden was also evaluated. Results: AA treatment resulted in improvements in associative memory in female 5xFAD mice without altering the Aβ plaque burden. Cortical mitochondrial function and mitochondrial gene expression were increased in the AA-treated female 5xFAD mice, as was the expression of antioxidant genes. More modest effects of AA on cortical mitochondrial function and mitochondrial and antioxidant gene expression were observed in male 5xFAD mice. Conclusions: Oral AA treatment improved cognitive and mitochondrial function and activated antioxidant in Aβ-overexpressing mice. These changes occurred independent of alterations in Aβ plaque burden, suggesting that AA could have translational therapeutic relevance in later-stage AD when plaques are well established. Full article
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13 pages, 3279 KiB  
Systematic Review
The Effect of Antioxidant Polyphenol Supplementation on Cardiometabolic Risk Factors: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
by Sitong Wan, Junjie Luo, Yinhua Zhu, Peng An, Yongting Luo and Qingchang Xing
Nutrients 2024, 16(23), 4206; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu16234206 - 5 Dec 2024
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2043
Abstract
Background: Polyphenol is considered to exert a favorable impact on cardiovascular health. Methods: To summarize the role of polyphenol antioxidant supplements in cardiovascular disease, we searched for randomized controlled trials up to 10th November 2024 that reported estimates of the effects [...] Read more.
Background: Polyphenol is considered to exert a favorable impact on cardiovascular health. Methods: To summarize the role of polyphenol antioxidant supplements in cardiovascular disease, we searched for randomized controlled trials up to 10th November 2024 that reported estimates of the effects of polyphenol antioxidant supplements on cardiometabolic risk factors. Results: Of the 17,126 participants in the 281 studies, weighted mean differences [95% confidence intervals] were derived for the intervention condition utilizing random effects modeling. Our results suggest that multiple polyphenol supplements improved cardiovascular risk markers in the overall population. For example, catechin supplementation decreased systolic (−1.56 [−2.75, −0.37] mmHg) and diastolic blood pressure (−0.95 [−1.69, −0.20] mmHg), anthocyanin supplementation improved multiple blood lipid profiles, and curcumin supplementation benefited indicators of glucose metabolism. Conclusions: Our meta-analysis provides comprehensive evidence that antioxidant polyphenol supplementation can have beneficial effects on various cardiometabolic risk factors in the general population. The observed improvements in blood pressure, lipid profile, and glycemic status support the potential role of these supplements in cardiovascular health promotion. However, the heterogeneity among studies indicates that more research is needed to fully understand the optimal use of different polyphenols. Future research should concentrate on conducting a greater number of well-designed randomized controlled trials over extended periods of time to evaluate the long-term impact on cardiovascular endpoints and to ascertain the optimal doses and durations of antioxidant polyphenol supplementation. Furthermore, additional research is required to gain a deeper understanding of the underlying mechanisms responsible for these cardioprotective effects. Full article
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