The Ameliorative Effects of Phytonutrients in Degenerative Diseases

Degenerative diseases are usually chronic, progressive conditions that are often accompanied by cell death, tissue degeneration, and organ failure. Degenerative diseases mainly affect the central nervous system, the skeletal and joint systems, and the cardiovascular system. As the global population ages, the incidence of degenerative diseases continues to rise and has become a major global public health challenge. Currently, clinically synthesized drugs for the treatment of degenerative diseases are expensive, have serious adverse effects, and demonstrate poor tolerability. Phytonutrients, including natural plant extracts with multiple functional activities, are derived from plants and marine sources, herbal preparations, and compounds modified by genetic/epigenetic techniques. They are an important source of new lead structures for the development of drugs to ameliorate oxidative stress and degenerative diseases, making them promising candidates for disease-modifying therapies.

Despite the growing potential of plant extracts for the treatment of degenerative diseases, several key challenges remain:

1. The complex molecular mechanisms of the interactions between phytonutrients and cells complicate the understanding of the relationship between their components and functions.
2. The effects of plant species, growth conditions, and extraction methods on their bioactivity are not yet fully understood.
3. The targeting efficiency and pharmacokinetics of phytonutrients in vivo require further precise characterization.
Additionally, optimizing the therapeutic efficacy of new lead structures from natural plant extracts through engineering modifications, and developing scalable production standards for clinical applications, are critical technical hurdles that need to be addressed.

This Research Topic focuses on the interdisciplinary theme of "The ameliorative effects of phytonutrients in degenerative diseases," bringing together the latest research from diverse fields, including plant biology, nanomedicine, biomaterials, molecular pharmacology, and clinical medicine. Key areas of study include, but are not limited to:

○ Extraction, isolation, and structural characterization of active ingredients for the amelioration of degenerative diseases
○ Molecular mechanisms of phytonutrients against osteoarthritis, neurodegenerative diseases, and other degenerative conditions
○ Improvement of degenerative diseases using plant-derived extracellular vesicles and other drug delivery systems for natural plant extracts
○ Bioavailability and pharmacokinetic studies of phytonutrients for the amelioration of degenerative diseases
○ Engineering modifications and targeted delivery strategies for new lead structures of natural plant extracts
○ Construction and preclinical evaluation of disease models based on phytonutrients
○ Large-scale production and standardized quality control of phytonutrients

By adopting a multidisciplinary approach, this Research Topic seeks to accelerate the translation of phytonutrients from basic research to clinical practice, offering innovative solutions for developing effective and safe interventions for degenerative diseases and shaping new paradigms in the biomedical application of natural nanocarriers.

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Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Case Report
• Classification
• Clinical Trial
• Community Case Study
• Conceptual Analysis
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• FAIR² DATA Direct Submission
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Policy and Practice Reviews
• Registered Report
• Review
• Systematic Review
• Technology and Code

Keywords: natural plant extracts, degenerative diseases, molecular mechanism, nanocarrier, nutrients, functional food, phytonutrients, plant extracts, natural compounds, oxidative stress, drug development, nanomedicine, bioavailability, pharmacokinetics, disease model, Society Affiliation RT

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