Antioxidant Activity of Natural Products

Dear Colleagues,

Natural products play an important role in the discovery and development of active ingredients with a wide range of applications. Interest in them stems mainly from their antioxidant effects, which have been widely studied and pursued by researchers from different disciplines. Antioxidants can neutralize free radicals and reactive species, thereby counteracting oxidative damage, and consequently, they are able to reduce the incidence of oxidative stress-related diseases and interrupt free radical-mediated chain reactions. This justifies their wide range of applications in medical and therapeutic goods, cosmetics, food additives, and biomaterials.

Natural products from different sources have been studied over the last few decades, but much more remains to be discovered regarding the structural elucidation and mechanisms of antioxidant action of their molecules. The discovery of new sources and compounds, more sustainable and selective extraction and isolation techniques, and more reliable and accurate analytical methods is still ongoing, as is the assessment of the role of antioxidants in human health and wellbeing. The development and standardization of model systems to accurately assess the biological or technological relevance of the antioxidant effect has been challenging but still necessary.

This transdisciplinary Topic aims to bring together original research and review articles focusing on recent advances in the extraction, isolation, and characterization of plant, fungal, algal, microbial, and animal-derived antioxidants; bioactivity, bioaccessibility, and bioavailability of antioxidants and their interaction with other compounds; molecular mechanisms of antioxidant action and effects on particular metabolic or signaling pathways; the role of antioxidants in the prevention and treatment of health conditions; and stabilization and application of antioxidants in foods, nutraceuticals, pharmaceuticals, and biomaterials. Other subjects related to this Topic are also welcome.

Dr. José Pinela
Dr. Maria Inês Dias
Dr. Carla Pereira
Dr. Alexandra Plácido
Topic Editors