The world is constantly searching for innovative, safer health-promoting interventions that could offer an effective and consistent alternative to traditional pharmacological remedies.
Historically, food-derived natural bioactive compounds have been primary resources for human disease treatment and for the preservation of a good human health state. Recently, natural molecules have gained relevant attention worldwide for their various and demonstrated healthy effects in humans, without relevant side effects.
From the chemical point of view, natural molecules include a large group of phytochemicals classified based on their specific structural features into sterols, flavonoids, alkaloids, lignans, terpenoids, and saponins. Considering the chemical structure-activity relationship, these compounds could act on different cellular targets and consequently exert different therapeutic activities in several human body districts.
Synergy refers to the cooperative interaction between different molecules in the body, where the combined effect of multiple components is greater than the sum of their individual effects. It suggests that food-derived compounds may work together to enhance their overall health benefits and optimize bodily functions. In the context of human
nutrition and nutraceutical supplementation, the synergism recognizes that food-deriving molecules do not act in isolation but rather interact and influence each other's absorption, metabolism, and biological effects. This interaction can occur between vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals, and other bioactive compounds present in food
and other natural sources.
In light of such considerations, this Research Topic aims to bring together experts from both industry and academia to collect comprehensive reviews, original research articles, or clinical reports, related to, but not limited to:
• The innovative natural compound and nutrient synergistic combination for the development of alternative approaches in the management of human diseases.
• The identification and quantification of phytochemicals from innovative natural sources.
• Target identification, therapeutic applications, and molecular mechanisms of synergistic combinations.
We want to make this Research Topic a valuable collection of new knowledge in this field.
All the manuscripts submitted to the Ethnopharmacology section will need to fully comply with the Four Pillars of Best Practice in Ethnopharmacology (you can freely download the full version here). We also expect that the manuscripts follow the standards established in the ConPhyMP statement Front. Pharmacol. 13:953205.