About this Research Topic
Neurodegenerative diseases have received so much attention over the last few decades due to cases skyrocketing worldwide. People suffer from these diseases as they age even if they lead a healthy lifestyle and avoid bad habits. It is a battle no one would choose to fight. They represent a plethora of disorders including Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, Huntington's disease, Multiple sclerosis, Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Batten disease, Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease, Friedreich ataxia, and Spinal muscular atrophy. They add a huge burden to the cost of healthcare systems and enforce disability on many citizens. The etiology of these diseases is usually undefined and many genetic and environmental factors play a role in their development. Drugs that fight these diseases seem to fall short of reversing the degenerative conditions, as they only alleviate the symptoms. Novel therapeutics should be developed based on extensive in vitro and in vivo studies to target the root causes of these diseases.
Mother Nature has been the source of therapeutics since antiquity. Ancient civilizations depended on local flora to treat human disorders, including neurodegenerative diseases. Ancient civilizations did not understand the pathophysiology of the diseases, but they observed the detrimental symptoms and tried to combat these symptoms with rituals and plant extracts. Local healers diagnosed some neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases and developed a list of local flora to tackle these disorders. Ginseng, Curcumin, Ginkgo biloba, and Salvia, are some examples of widely used plants to tackle symptoms of neurodegenerative diseases. Medicinal chemists mimicked nature to develop therapeutics for neurodegenerative diseases. They isolated active compounds from plant extracts, identified their structures and synthesized more potent derivatives. Rivastigmine, Apomorphine, Selegiline, Tolcapone, and Amantadine are among the most common drugs used to treat neurodegenerative diseases. Computational studies offered an interesting opportunity to study medications, their targets and to optimize current and future drugs to selectively target the diseases with fewer side effects. The complexity of neurodegenerative diseases call for collaborative efforts including scientists from many disciplines to cover all aspects of the diseases development and how to reverse the degeneration.
We welcome Original Research, Review, Mini Review and Perspective articles on themes including, but not limited to:
• Identification and application of natural products from plants, marine organisms and microorganisms to tackle neurodegenerative diseases.
• Development of new assay methodologies for the evaluation of natural and synthetic compounds targeting neurodegenerative diseases.
• Application of biotechnology for the development of new compounds to tackle neurodegenerative diseases.
• Development of new synthetic drugs (organic and organometallic drugs) for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases.
• Development of new methodologies for the detection of neurodegenerative diseases.
• In silico studies focusing on drug development for neurodegenerative diseases.
Mother Nature has been the source of therapeutics since antiquity. Ancient civilizations depended on local flora to treat human disorders, including neurodegenerative diseases. Ancient civilizations did not understand the pathophysiology of the diseases, but they observed the detrimental symptoms and tried to combat these symptoms with rituals and plant extracts. Local healers diagnosed some neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases and developed a list of local flora to tackle these disorders. Ginseng, Curcumin, Ginkgo biloba, and Salvia, are some examples of widely used plants to tackle symptoms of neurodegenerative diseases. Medicinal chemists mimicked nature to develop therapeutics for neurodegenerative diseases. They isolated active compounds from plant extracts, identified their structures and synthesized more potent derivatives. Rivastigmine, Apomorphine, Selegiline, Tolcapone, and Amantadine are among the most common drugs used to treat neurodegenerative diseases. Computational studies offered an interesting opportunity to study medications, their targets and to optimize current and future drugs to selectively target the diseases with fewer side effects. The complexity of neurodegenerative diseases call for collaborative efforts including scientists from many disciplines to cover all aspects of the diseases development and how to reverse the degeneration.
We welcome Original Research, Review, Mini Review and Perspective articles on themes including, but not limited to:
• Identification and application of natural products from plants, marine organisms and microorganisms to tackle neurodegenerative diseases.
• Development of new assay methodologies for the evaluation of natural and synthetic compounds targeting neurodegenerative diseases.
• Application of biotechnology for the development of new compounds to tackle neurodegenerative diseases.
• Development of new synthetic drugs (organic and organometallic drugs) for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases.
• Development of new methodologies for the detection of neurodegenerative diseases.
• In silico studies focusing on drug development for neurodegenerative diseases.
Keywords: Natural products, Synthetic drugs, Biotechnology, Biological assays, In silico studies
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