The global incidence of gastrointestinal and hepatic diseases has been gradually increasing in recent years, which seriously threatens human health and increases the economic burden. More importantly, gastrointestinal and hepatic malignancies have the highest incidence and mortality rates among all tumors, such as liver cancer, stomach cancer, colon cancer, and pancreatic cancer. There are also non-neoplastic diseases such as viral hepatitis, cirrhosis, nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, chronic atrophic gastritis, ulcerative colitis, and reflux esophageal disease that also affect patients' quality of life. Although progress has been made in the pathogenesis of gastrointestinal and hepatic diseases, and corresponding therapeutic drugs have been also developed, the specific mechanisms of the diseases are still not revealed and there is a lack of specific drugs. In view of this, this topic aims to explore new molecular mechanisms of pathogenesis and potential therapeutic agents and pharmacological effects of gastrointestinal and hepatic diseases.
In this Research Topic, we aim to address these issues:
1) To discover novel molecular mechanisms in gastrointestinal and hepatic diseases.
Exploration of novel molecular mechanisms in the pathogenesis of gastrointestinal and hepatic diseases; Data mining and multi-omics are beneficial in the search for potentially important prognostic targets.
2) To discover effective drugs for the treatment of gastrointestinal and hepatic diseases.
Exploration of new molecular mechanisms of known compounds for the treatment of gastrointestinal and hepatic diseases; exploration of new compounds and mechanisms for the treatment of gastrointestinal and hepatic diseases; efficacy and molecular mechanisms of herb extracts, herb drugs, and their isolated components for the treatment of gastrointestinal and hepatic diseases.
In this Research Topic, we welcome articles or review manuscripts on the following subtopics, but are not limited to:
• To discover the mechanisms of gastrointestinal and hepatic diseases and prognosis-related biomarkers.
• To discover the efficacy and pharmacological mechanisms of compounds, natural products, and herbal medicines for gastrointestinal and hepatic diseases.
The experimental subjects could be animals, patients, and cell models. The compounds could be natural or synthetic. The molecular targets could be genes, proteins, and noncoding RNAs.
Manuscripts focused on natural product research and pharmacological approaches derived from traditional medicine should be submitted through the Section Ethnopharmacology pathway only.
Please note:
1. All submissions to the journal Frontiers in Pharmacology using plant extracts or preparations must also adhere to the
Four Pillars of Best Practice in Ethnopharmacology (you can freely download the full version
here) to be considered for peer review. Importantly, please ascertain that the ethnopharmacological context is clearly described
(pillar 3d) and that the material investigated is characterized in detail
(pillars 2 a and b ).
2. Clinical Trial articles will be accepted for review only if they are randomized, double-blinded, and placebo controlled. Statistical power analysis or a justification of the sample size is mandatory.
3. For network analysis studies, potential authors will have to comply with the following guidelines:
• In general, it is expected that network analysis will be conducted in combination with experimental pharmacological work or are based on a sound body of experimental work.
• Network analysis of mixtures (e.g., of extracts of a single botanical drug or a polyherbal preparation) is only considered if a specific experimental mechanism of action can be proposed for compounds with a relevant in vitro or in vivo activity
• Network analysis studies must critically assess the evidence to evaluate the potential pharmacological effects of a preparation/herbal (medical) product and the limitations of the evidence.
• The network must be represented in such a way that the underlying mechanism can be understood including a suitable visualization of the network and the individual data points.
• The identification of the compounds must be sound. This information may be derived preferably from benchwork or else from the existing literature. It is essential that the quantities of the compounds in the preparation or plant are stated and are high enough to be of pharmacological relevance.
• The bioavailability of the compounds must be assessed.
• Ubiquitous or very widely known compounds are highly unlikely to be “active”, especially in vitro assays. Therefore, in these cases, evidence for therapeutic or preventive benefits and mechanisms of action is essential.
• The major target found by transcriptomics or proteomics needs to be validated by other experimental techniques.
