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Natural Products for Gastrointestinal Diseases
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Natural Products for Gastrointestinal Diseases

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 5 October 2026 | Viewed by 1530

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Oliver Grundmann

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Medicinal Chemistry, College of Pharmacy, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA
Interests: forensic and clinical toxicology; natural products pharmacology and toxicology; dietary supplement quality and safety; pharmacology and toxicology of psychoactive drugs; epidemiology of drug use and abuse
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Saunjoo L. Yoon

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Biobehavioral Nursing Science, College of Nursing, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
Interests: interventions with use of complementary and integrative medicines (CIM) modalities to improve nutritional status; cancer-cachexia and symptom management in adult patients with gastrointestinal cancers; herbal supplement use to manage symptoms and health promotion in older adults with chronic conditions; nutritional impact on cancr-relatd survivalship; palliative care related to cancer-cachexia in patients with GI cancers
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Natural products are used to develop new medications as well as dietary supplements. Despite substantial advances in the treatment of disorders, various gastrointestinal diseases remain insufficiently treated with current medications, such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs), and gastrointestinal cancers. Often, patients require a multi-modal approach to alleviating symptoms and reducing the progression of the disease. Natural products, whether new treatment modalities or supplements, can be curative and provide symptomatic relief. This Special Issue focuses on original research, systematic reviews with meta-analysis, and narrative reviews regarding the use of natural products for gastrointestinal diseases/disorders. We encourage the submission of original research that addresses mechanistic and symptomatic principles to improve quality of life and reduce disease burden and severity. In addition, narrative and systematic reviews that reflect on novel developments, and in particular clinical studies, are of great interest. We look forward to hearing from you and remain available to answer any questions.

Prof. Dr. Oliver Grundmann
Dr. Saunjoo L. Yoon
Guest Editors

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.

Keywords

  • gastrointestinal disorders
  • gastrointestinal cancers
  • natural products
  • inflammatory bowel disorders
  • irritable bowel syndrome
  • gastrointestinal health

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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21 pages, 3694 KB  
Article
Combined Effects of Withaferin A and Sodium Butyrate on NF-κB Signaling and Epigenetic Regulation in Breast Cancer Cells
by Brittany L. Witt, Neha Singaravelan and Trygve O. Tollefsbol
Nutrients 2026, 18(6), 1015; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu18061015 - 23 Mar 2026
Viewed by 682
Abstract
Background/Objectives: There is a clear need for more options to control the progression of breast cancer and prevent the occurrence of breast cancer in minority populations that have a higher rate of mortality due to triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) subtypes. Prevalent nutraceuticals [...] Read more.
Background/Objectives: There is a clear need for more options to control the progression of breast cancer and prevent the occurrence of breast cancer in minority populations that have a higher rate of mortality due to triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) subtypes. Prevalent nutraceuticals such as Ashwagandha (also known as the Indian Winter Cherry) have anti-inflammatory and apoptotic capabilities, as well as the ability to inhibit cancer growth. The purpose of this study is to analyze the novel combination of withaferin A (derived from the Indian Winter Cherry and known to have histone deacetylase inhibition capabilities) and sodium butyrate (a short-chain fatty acid produced from the gut microbiome and known to have DNA methyltransferase inhibition capabilities) treatment on breast cancer-derived cell lines. There is a scientific gap of possible causality of decreasing breast cancer progression when treated with sodium butyrate and withaferin A. Methods: Two in vitro cell viability assays were utilized consisting of [MTT (4,5 Dimethylthiazol-2-yl)] and the neutral red assay to analyze the impact of treatment of compounds alone and in combination on breast cancer cells for 72 h. The Highest Single Agent (HSA) combination analysis was utilized to derive combination indexes for our breast cancer cell types. Protein and gene expression was investigated for Class 1 histone deacetylases, de novo DNA methyltransferase, the p65 subunit of NF-κB, and NFκB1. Lastly, DNA methyltransferase enzymatic activity was analyzed via the Epigentek DNMT Activity/Inhibition ELISA Easy Kit. Results: Through the cell viability assay [MTT (4,5 Dimethylthiazol-2-yl)], MCF−7, MDA−MB−231, and MDA−MB−157 cells were found to have a decrease in cell viability due to combinatorial treatment with withaferin A and sodium butyrate. Western blot results depicted a decrease in protein expression levels for DNA methyltransferases due to the administration of 2.5 mM sodium butyrate and 0.2 µM withaferin A alone and in combination for breast cancer cell lines MCF−7, MDA-MB-231, and MDA−MB−157. Additionally, the combination of these two components have successfully inhibited the progression of the NFκB1 gene within analysis through the quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). Conclusions: The novel combination of withaferin A and sodium butyrate have markedly reduced the progression of breast cancer-derived cell lines for cell viability, epigenetic DNMT gene expression, as well as inhibiting NFκB1 signaling on the gene expression level. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Natural Products for Gastrointestinal Diseases)
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Review

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46 pages, 3308 KB  
Review
Lentil-Derived Bioactives for Gastrointestinal Health: Potential Complementary Interactions Among Peptides, Resistant Starch, and Polyphenols
by Xingye Wei, Qianwen Sun, Chengxuan Li, Jinghan Wang, Muhammad Sajid Arshad and Hafiz A. R. Suleria
Nutrients 2026, 18(9), 1348; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu18091348 - 24 Apr 2026
Viewed by 301
Abstract
Lentils (Lens culinaris; family: Fabaceae) are increasingly recognized as functional legumes with potential benefits for gut health because they provide bioactive peptides, resistant starch, and polyphenol-rich fractions within a shared food matrix. However, most existing studies have focused on individual lentil-derived [...] Read more.
Lentils (Lens culinaris; family: Fabaceae) are increasingly recognized as functional legumes with potential benefits for gut health because they provide bioactive peptides, resistant starch, and polyphenol-rich fractions within a shared food matrix. However, most existing studies have focused on individual lentil-derived compounds, and their matrix-dependent complementary interactions during digestion and fermentation remain insufficiently resolved. This review synthesizes current evidence on lentil-derived peptides, resistant starch, and polyphenols, with particular emphasis on their matrix-dependent complementary relationships, digestion-dependent transformation, microbial co-metabolism, and implications for intestinal barrier function. During gastrointestinal digestion and colonic fermentation, lentil proteins, resistant starch, and phenolic compounds undergo sequential transformation, yielding bioactive peptides, fermentable substrates, short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), and phenolic metabolites that may collectively influence microbial composition and metabolic activity. Emerging evidence suggests that these interconnected processes may support gut health through microbiota–host crosstalk by modulating tight junction-related markers, reducing intestinal permeability, and maintaining epithelial homeostasis. Mechanistically, these effects have been associated with SCFA-mediated G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) signaling, suppression of TLR4–NF-κB/MAPK inflammatory cascades, and activation of Keap1–Nrf2 antioxidant defenses, thereby attenuating oxidative stress and pro-inflammatory responses. Current evidence is more consistent with matrix-dependent complementary or convergent actions than with demonstrated synergy. At present, phenolic-rich fractions provide clear pathway-level evidence, whereas fermentation-linked carbohydrate effects are more strongly supported by microbiota- and in vivo-associated outcomes, and protein- or peptide-related mechanisms remain comparatively underdefined. Nevertheless, the evidence base remains limited by the scarcity of integrated studies, well-controlled human intervention trials, and factorial experimental designs capable of distinguishing complementary, additive, and truly synergistic effects among lentil bioactives. This review therefore highlights the need to move from describing coexisting beneficial effects toward formally testing interaction effects within physiologically relevant lentil matrices. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Natural Products for Gastrointestinal Diseases)
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