Cognition is the acquisition, processing, and storage of external information by the human brain when exposed to external factors, as well as a complex neurophysiological activity including learning, memory, emotion, and thinking. Blocking the basic process of cognitive operation results in cognitive impairment, which mainly manifests as slow reaction and learning, memory decline, etc. (Katzman et al., 1983; Petersen, 2007). The reasons leading to cognitive impairment include diseases such as brain dysplasia, brain trauma, stroke, and cerebral infarction. Some cases are induced by external factors such as frequent drinking, long periods of reduced sleep, abuse of drugs affecting the central nervous system, and exposure to harmful substances. However, most cognitive impairment occurs due to the natural decline of the nervous system caused by aging, which is irreversible functional degeneration and can be delayed only by early interventions in the decline process (Mohammad et al., 2014; Shwe et al., 2020).
Natural medicinal products with high safety and low toxicity are extracted from plants and animals and are suitable for long-term preventive use. Recent studies have demonstrated the good activity of natural medicinal products against aging-related cognitive impairment (Kumar et al., 2008; Li et al., 2012; Du et al., 2015; Turgut et al., 2015; Lee et al., 2017; He et al., 2020; Li et al., 2021). For this research hotspot, we have designed and organized a Research Topic including five articles, all of which are original research focused on introducing the application of natural medicinal products to prevent and ameliorate aging-related cognitive impairment.
This Research Topic includes a variety of natural medicinal products. Wang et al. extracted and separated the ethanol extract (PSCE) from the seed coat of peony, established a mouse cognitive impairment model by administering scopolamine to mice, observed the changes in the cognitive behavior of the model mice, and studied the mechanism of these changes by administering PSCE and its active ingredient suffruticosol B (SB). The results showed that PSCE and SB improved cognitive impairment by regulating cholinergic nerves, antioxidation, and anti-inflammation. Li et al. reported that Armillaria mellea polysaccharides improved aging-related learning and memory disorders by regulating the level of oxidative stress kinases and neurotransmitters in vivo and promoting the proliferation of neurons in the hippocampus of model mice induced by D-galactose. Zhao et al. reported the effect of a natural medicine compound on cognitive impairment, in which Sagacious Confucius’ Pillow Elixir (SCPE), a Chinese medicine compound, improved cognitive impairment in an aging model in mice. The results showed that SCPE improved cognitive impairment by multiple mechanisms and targets. In addition, this Research Topic includes two articles on the impacts of volatile oil extracts from natural drugs on cognitive impairment, which have been less often reported by previous studies. Guo et al. reported that Monarda didyma L. essential oil showed a good ability to improve aging-related cognitive impairment in an aging model in mice and confirmed that the pharmacodynamic effect was related to the Nrf2/MAPK pathway. In another article, Qu et al. observed the effect of Coreopsis tinctoria essential oil on cognitive impairment in animal experiments, in which the drugs affected the Nrf2/NF-κB pathway to improve learning and memory disorders in D-galactose-induced mice.
In conclusion, this Research Topic increased our understanding of natural medicinal products to prevent and improve aging-related cognitive impairment, and also provided theoretical evidence for the development and application of natural medicines.
Statements
Author contributions
HL contributed to the concept and drafting of the manuscript. GX and WZ contributed to the revision of the manuscript. GY contributed to the concept, design, and critical revision of the manuscript.
Acknowledgments
All the researchers and reviewers have made important contributions to this Research Topic. We thank the authors for sharing their valuable research findings. We also thank the reviewers for their rigorous comments and suggestions. Finally, we thank the editors and other members of the Frontiers Editorial Office for their efficient work, which ensured the success of this Research Topic.
Conflict of interest
The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.
Publisher’s note
All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors, and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article, or claim that may be made by its manufacturer, is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.
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Summary
Keywords
natural medicinal products, aging, cognitive impairment, learning, memory
Citation
Li H, Xu G, Zhu W and Yuan G (2022) Editorial: Application of natural medicinal products in preventing and ameliorating aging-caused cognitive impairment. Front. Pharmacol. 13:1059398. doi: 10.3389/fphar.2022.1059398
Received
01 October 2022
Accepted
17 October 2022
Published
03 November 2022
Volume
13 - 2022
Edited and reviewed by
Nicholas M. Barnes, University of Birmingham, United Kingdom
Updates
Copyright
© 2022 Li, Xu, Zhu and Yuan.
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*Correspondence: Guangxin Yuan, yuanguangxin2007@163.com
This article was submitted to Neuropharmacology, a section of the journal Frontiers in Pharmacology
Disclaimer
All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.