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Plant Extracts in the Prevention and Treatment of Chronic Disease

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 25 November 2025 | Viewed by 390

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Kampo Clinical Center, Hiroshima University Hospital, 1-2-3 Kasumi, Minami-ku, Hiroshima 734-8551, Japan
Interests: herbal medicine; acupuncture; traditional medicine; pediatrics; pediatric surgery; skin; color; optics; complementary and alternative medicine; integrative medicine
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Guest Editor
Faculty of Pharmacy, Juntendo University, 6-8-1 Hinode, Urayasu, Chiba 279-0013, Japan
Interests: life sciences; environmental and pharmaceutical development resources

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Plant-derived dietary components and phytochemicals have attracted growing attention due to their role in promoting metabolic and immune health. This Special Issue aims to highlight evidence-based research on functional foods, nutritional supplementation, and plant-based strategies that contribute to the prevention and management of chronic diseases and frailty.

We welcome original research, reviews, and clinical studies focusing on the effects of bioactive compounds naturally consumed through daily diets, such as polyphenols, flavonoids, carotenoids, and plant extracts used as functional ingredients. Submissions that explore their underlying mechanisms, clinical efficacy, safety, and nutrient–gene interactions are particularly encouraged.

While the focus will be on dietary and nutritional frameworks, studies on standardized plant extract formulations may also be considered if they are positioned within the context of the development of functional food or dietary supplementations.

We look forward to your valuable contributions advancing our knowledge in this important and evolving field.

Prof. Dr. Keiko Ogawa-Ochiai
Dr. Sachiko Sugimoto
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

  • herbal extract
  • frailty
  • chronic disease
  • metabolic health
  • prevention

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

14 pages, 1892 KB  
Article
In Vitro Suppression Effects of Ephedra przewalskii Stapf-Derived Natural Compounds on SARS-CoV-2
by Xiaolan Zhu, Abeer Mohamed Abdelfattah Elsayed, Masaki Kakimoto, Sachiko Sugimoto, Takemasa Sakaguchi and Keiko Ogawa-Ochiai
Nutrients 2025, 17(18), 2958; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu17182958 - 15 Sep 2025
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Abstract
Background: Ephedra przewalskii Stapf stems are a traditional Mongolian medicine commonly used to treat infectious diseases. Previous in vitro experiments have shown that the extract powder derived from its stems possesses antiviral activity. However, the active compounds responsible for this activity in E. [...] Read more.
Background: Ephedra przewalskii Stapf stems are a traditional Mongolian medicine commonly used to treat infectious diseases. Previous in vitro experiments have shown that the extract powder derived from its stems possesses antiviral activity. However, the active compounds responsible for this activity in E. przewalskii Stapf have not yet been identified or evaluated. This study aimed to identify the active components in E. przewalskii that exhibit antiviral effects against SARS-CoV-2 in vitro and validate their antiviral activity. Methods: E. przewalskii stem extracts were subjected to high-performance liquid chromatography with varying methanol ratios in the mobile phase to obtain fractions with different polarities. Antiviral activity was assessed by infecting VeroE6/TMPRSS2 cells with the SARS-CoV-2 Delta strain and treating them with the obtained fractions. Infectious titers were measured using the 50% tissue culture infective dose (TCID50) method, and half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) values were calculated for each fraction. The active components in the two fractions with the highest antiviral activity were identified and structurally characterized by nuclear magnetic resonance analysis. The antiviral activity of these compounds was confirmed by adding them to SARS-CoV-2-infected cells and measuring their infectious titers using the TCID50 method. The IC50 values were also calculated. Viral-particle inactivation assays were conducted by mixing the extracts with SARS-CoV-2 and measuring infectious titers. Results: (−)-Catechin, (+)-epigallocatechin-(2α→O→7,4α→8)-(−)-epicatechin, and ent-epicatechin-(4α→8;2α→O→7)-catechin were isolated from E. przewalskii. These compounds exhibited significant antiviral activity against SARS-CoV-2 but demonstrated minimal direct virucidal effects. Conclusion: (−)-Catechin, (+)-epigallocatechin-(2α→O→7,4α→8)-(−)-epicatechin, and ent-epicatechin-(4α→8;2α→O→7)-catechin exhibit antiviral activity against SARS-CoV-2 in infected cells. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Extracts in the Prevention and Treatment of Chronic Disease)
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