Phytochemicals and Therapeutic Targets: Their Interactions and Effects on Health

As naturally occurring compounds with widespread distribution in various plants and fruits, phytochemicals exhibit multiple pharmacological activities including anti-microbial, anti-oxidative, anti-inflammatory, and anti-cancer activities. Phytochemicals play a role in the nutritional intervention of chronic diseases via potential therapeutic targets, such as nuclear receptors and transmembrane receptors. Mechanistically, phytochemicals can bind to the respective target proteins and subsequently regulate their transcription. Thus, the interactions between phytochemicals and therapeutic targets should be investigated to explore the mechanisms for the health benefits of phytochemicals. Since natural products offer significant advantages over synthetic drugs, screening of novel modulators of target proteins from phytochemicals may be a promising therapeutic approach for human diseases.

This Research Topic will focus on understanding the interactions of phytochemicals with therapeutic targets, and the regulation mechanisms of phytochemicals on human chronic diseases.

Specific themes of interest include, but are not limited to:
•The interactions between phytochemicals and their respective therapeutic targets;
•The interactions between phytochemicals and food proteins;
•Network pharmacology and experimental verification to explore the therapeutic mechanism of natural and synthetic compounds;
•The in vitro and in vivo studies of pharmacological activities of natural and synthetic compounds;
•The nutritional intervention of chronic and metabolic diseases by phytochemicals;
•Screening of novel modulators of therapeutic targets from phytochemicals.