Bioinformatics and Beyond: Exploring the Health Benefits of Bioactive Metabolites from Plants

Bioactive metabolites from plants have gained significant attention due to their potential health benefits and therapeutic properties. Alkaloids are often associated with specific and often strong pharmacological activities. Other classes of metabolites like polyphenols (incl. many flavonoids), diverse classes of other aromatic compounds, and carotenoids, exhibit a range of biological activities, including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial effects. They are linked to the prevention and sometimes the adjuvant treatment of symptoms resulting from chronic diseases like cardiovascular disorders or metabolic syndrome/diabetes. However, such claims are all too often based on simplistic pharmacological screening approaches, which are of no therapeutic or clinical relevance. Therefore, robust and pharmacologically relevant models are essential, as is a critical assessment of what evidence the experimental approach results in.

The integration of bioinformatics and omics technologies facilitates a deeper understanding of the biosynthesis and functional roles of these metabolites on human health. As dietary habits shift towards plant-based foods, the exploration of preparations derived from such plants become crucial for developing functional foods that potentially enhance the health of a person. This research topic aims to highlight recent advancements in the field, emphasizing the importance of bioinformatics in uncovering the complexities of plant-derived bioactive compounds and their implications for health and nutrition.

This research topic aims to offer a broad perspective at the intersection of bioinformatics and plant-derived bioactive compounds, focusing on their health benefits.

We invite contributors to address specific themes such as:
• The identification and characterization of bioactive compounds in various plant species.
• Mechanistic studies linking bioactive compounds to health outcomes using pharmacological approaches.
• The role of gut microbiota in modulating the effects of plant metabolites.
• Innovations in extraction and processing methods for enhancing bioactive compound efficacy.
• Applications of bioinformatics tools in analyzing plant metabolomics data.
• The use of bioinformatics, in modelling changes to the profile of (bioactive) metabolites in plants over time also linked to climate change or to ecological variation.

We welcome a variety of manuscript types, including original research articles, reviews, case studies, and methodological papers. This article collection seeks to foster interdisciplinary collaboration and advance our understanding of how plant bioactive compounds can contribute to human health through innovative research approaches. Therefore, it is essential that submitted manuscripts comply with the fundamental conceptual and methodological requirements of the respective fields of research like plant science and pharmacology. Specifically, all the manuscripts submitted to the collection will need to fully comply with the Four Pillars of Best Practice in Ethnopharmacology (you can freely download the full version here: https://www.frontiersin.org/files/pdf/4_pillars_FULL_TEXT.pdf). We also expect that the MS follow the standards established in the ConPhyMP statement Front. Pharmacol. 13:953205 here: https://doi.org/10.3389/fphar.2022.953205

Health claims based on in silico studies are generally not accepted, unless they are linked to specific pharmacological studies and focus on detailed assessments of individual metabolite’s pharmacological mechanism in vitro.

Computational approaches in combination with experimental work (preferentially in vitro) may be considered exceptionally if they focus on identifying preliminary compound-target interactions. These studies cannot demonstrate a 'mechanism of action'. All in silico approaches must assess the specificity of the effects. Polyphenols and small molecules often show non-specific and pharmacologically irrelevant effects and will not be considered.