The worldwide increase in the aged population is emerging as an issue of great concern. The global life expectancy has increased from 66.8 years in 2000 to 73.4 years in 2019. Despite the increasing life expectancy reflecting positive human development, a new challenge is arising. Living organisms become more sensitive to external and internal stimuli and experience progressively degenerative changes when growing older, thus leading to biological and cognitive degeneration, such as psychological impairment, cognitive decline, and physical frailty.
Oxidative stress is regarded as an imbalance between anti- and prooxidant species, thereby leading to cellular and molecular damage. Oxidative stress has been considered a primary factor in the development and pathogenesis of age-related diseases such as osteoporosis, cancer, neurodegenerative disease, arthritis, musculoskeletal disorders, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease (CVD).
Age-related diseases produce a psychological burden for society, families, and patients. The high prevalence of age-related diseases among senior citizens has gained significance in the pursuit of a therapeutic agent which is capable of preventing premature aging, improving the healthspan by targeting the pathogenesis of aging, and slowing the progression of degenerative disorders.
The objective of this Research Topic is to provide a platform for researchers to publish recent research and the latest developments, both clinical and basic, in the pharmacological and biochemical evaluation of natural antioxidants derived from plants in age-related diseases. We cordially invite researchers to contribute original research or review articles, aiming to highlight the molecular mechanisms of plant derived natural antioxidants involved in the prevention of age-related diseases and healthy longevity.
Potential topics include but are not limited to the following:
• Bioactivity and bioavailability studies on plant-derived polyphenols.
• Mechanism of action of plant-derived natural antioxidants in age-related diseases prevention.
• Elucidation of plant-derived natural antioxidants on the molecular mechanisms involved in inflammation and redox modulation.
• Oxidative stress and cellular aging regulated by plant-derived natural
antioxidants.
• Human, in vivo, and in vitro studies of plant-derived natural antioxidants for the prevention of age-related diseases.
• Design of novel functional foods and their derived bioactive compounds in relation to age-related diseases.
• Investigation of the molecular pathways involved in the cellular oxidative balance and cell senescence in plant-derived natural antioxidants.
The models used must be of direct pharmacological relevance. If the study focuses on the effects on the CNS, an assessment of the substances passing the blood-brain barrier must be included.
Chemical anti-oxidant assays (like the DPPH or ABTS) assay are of no pharmacological relevance. These are simply chemical tests / analytical tools and there is no evidence for therapeutic benefits on the basis of such chemical assays. Therefore, they can only be used as phytochemical-analytical tools (e.g. in bio-assay guided fractionation) and the lack of a pharmacological relevance needs to be spelled out clearly in the assessment (one cannot write about 'activities').
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). We also expect that the MS follow the standards established in the
ConPhyMP statement Front. Pharmacol. 13:953205.