Natural Antioxidants and the Immunomodulation of Chronic and Transmissible Diseases

A special issue of Antioxidants (ISSN 2076-3921). This special issue belongs to the section "Health Outcomes of Antioxidants and Oxidative Stress".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (10 September 2023) | Viewed by 4728

Special Issue Editors

1. Health Sciences Center, University Federal of Santa Maria (UFSM), 1000 Roraima Avenue, Santa Maria, Brazil
2. University Hospital of Santa Maria- Brazilian Hospital Services Company (HUSM-EBSERH), 1000 Roraima Avenue, Santa Maria, Brazil
Interests: nutritional genomics; immunosenescence; superoxide-hydrogen peroxide imbalance; aging and age-related degenerative disorders; amazonian diet
Health Sciences Center, University Federal of Santa Maria (UFSM), 1000 Roraima Avenue, Santa Maria, Brazil
Interests: pharmacogenomics; cancer; oxidative stress and antioxidants; biogerontology; herbal medicines in wound healing

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Oxidative metabolism is a critical component in maintaining homeostasis and biological function. With aging, this metabolism, which continuously produces pro-oxidative molecules and endogenous antioxidants, tends to change mainly due to the decline in the mitochondrial and autophagic function of cells. Oxidative stress triggers a cascade of events that leads to immunosenescence characterized by the establishment of patterns of chronic inflammatory states associated with the risk and progression of non-transmissible diseases. In addition, it can negatively impact the immune efficiency against pathogens, increasing the risk of hospitalization and infection-related deaths. The evidence suggests that natural antioxidants in foods and phytotherapeutics have immunomodulatory action, attenuating low-grade inflammatory states and improving the immune response. However, most of this evidence has been published in a scattered manner, which makes it challenging to build systematic knowledge about the impact of natural antioxidants on immunomodulation.

Therefore, this Special Issue aims to provide a broad and updated overview of the antioxidant's impact on immunosenescence, non-transmissible diseases associated with chronic inflammation, and efficiency improvement of the immune response to pathogens, especially viruses and bacteria. Contributions by experts in the field in the form of research papers and critical reviews involving the description of biological mechanisms and the therapeutic potential of natural antioxidants are welcome.

Dr. Ivana Beatrice Mânica Da Cruz
Dr. Fernanda Barbisan
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Antioxidants is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • antioxidants as novel therapeutic approaches
  • cancer
  • cardiovascular diseases
  • diabetes
  • immunosenescence
  • immunomodulation
  • infections conditions
  • inflammation
  • musculoskeletal conditions
  • neurodegenerative diseases
  • psychiatric disorders
  • skin healing and aging

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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18 pages, 4444 KiB  
Article
Elamipretide(SS-31) Attenuates Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis by Inhibiting the Nrf2-Dependent NLRP3 Inflammasome in Macrophages
by Yunjuan Nie, Jiao Li, Xiaorun Zhai, Zhixu Wang, Junpeng Wang, Yaxian Wu, Peng Zhao and Gen Yan
Antioxidants 2023, 12(12), 2022; https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox12122022 - 21 Nov 2023
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Abstract
Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a progressive fatal lung disease with a limited therapeutic strategy. Mitochondrial oxidative stress in macrophages is directly linked to IPF. Elamipretide(SS-31) is a mitochondrion-targeted peptide that has been shown to be safe and beneficial for multiple diseases. However, [...] Read more.
Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a progressive fatal lung disease with a limited therapeutic strategy. Mitochondrial oxidative stress in macrophages is directly linked to IPF. Elamipretide(SS-31) is a mitochondrion-targeted peptide that has been shown to be safe and beneficial for multiple diseases. However, whether SS-31 alleviates IPF is unclear. In the present study, we used a bleomycin (BLM)-induced mouse model followed by SS-31 injection every other day to investigate its role in IPF and explore the possible mechanism. Our results showed that SS-31 treatment significantly suppressed BLM-induced pulmonary fibrosis and inflammation, with improved histological change, and decreased extracellular matrix deposition and inflammatory cytokines release. Impressively, the expression percentage of IL-1β and IL-18 was downregulated to lower than half with SS-31 treatment. Mechanistically, SS-31 inhibited IL-33- or lipopolysaccharide(LPS)/IL-4-induced production of IL-1β and IL-18 in macrophages by suppressing NOD-like receptor thermal protein domain associated protein 3(NLRP3) inflammasome activation. Nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2(Nrf2) was dramatically upregulated along with improved mitochondrial function after SS-31 treatment in activated macrophages and BLM-induced mice. Conversely, there was no significant change after SS-31 treatment in Nrf2−/− mice and macrophages. These findings indicated that SS-31 protected against pulmonary fibrosis and inflammation by inhibiting the Nrf2-mediated NLRP3 inflammasome in macrophages. Our data provide initial evidence for the therapeutic efficacy of SS-31 in IPF. Full article
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Review

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29 pages, 7518 KiB  
Review
Natural Substances vs. Approved Drugs in the Treatment of Main Cardiovascular Disorders—Is There a Breakthrough?
by Jelica Grujić-Milanović, Jovana Rajković, Sladjan Milanović, Vesna Jaćević, Zoran Miloradović, Lana Nežić and Radmila Novaković
Antioxidants 2023, 12(12), 2088; https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox12122088 - 07 Dec 2023
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Abstract
Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are a group of diseases with a very high rate of morbidity and mortality. The clinical presentation of CVDs can vary from asymptomatic to classic symptoms such as chest pain in patients with myocardial infarction. Current therapeutics for CVDs mainly [...] Read more.
Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are a group of diseases with a very high rate of morbidity and mortality. The clinical presentation of CVDs can vary from asymptomatic to classic symptoms such as chest pain in patients with myocardial infarction. Current therapeutics for CVDs mainly target disease symptoms. The most common CVDs are coronary artery disease, acute myocardial infarction, atrial fibrillation, chronic heart failure, arterial hypertension, and valvular heart disease. In their treatment, conventional therapies and pharmacological therapies are used. However, the use of herbal medicines in the therapy of these diseases has also been reported in the literature, resulting in a need for critical evaluation of advances related to their use. Therefore, we carried out a narrative review of pharmacological and herbal therapeutic effects reported for these diseases. Data for this comprehensive review were obtained from electronic databases such as MedLine, PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, and Google Scholar. Conventional therapy requires an individual approach to the patients, as when patients do not respond well, this often causes allergic effects or various other unwanted effects. Nowadays, medicinal plants as therapeutics are frequently used in different parts of the world. Preclinical/clinical pharmacology studies have confirmed that some bioactive compounds may have beneficial therapeutic effects in some common CVDs. The natural products analyzed in this review are promising phytochemicals for adjuvant and complementary drug candidates in CVDs pharmacotherapy, and some of them have already been approved by the FDA. There are insufficient clinical studies to compare the effectiveness of natural products compared to approved therapeutics for the treatment of CVDs. Further long-term studies are needed to accelerate the potential of using natural products for these diseases. Despite this undoubted beneficence on CVDs, there are no strong breakthroughs supporting the implementation of natural products in clinical practice. Nevertheless, they are promising agents in the supplementation and co-therapy of CVDs. Full article
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Other

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20 pages, 1807 KiB  
Systematic Review
Evidence-Based Utility of Adjunct Antioxidant Supplementation for the Prevention and Treatment of Dermatologic Diseases: A Comprehensive Systematic Review
by Jasmine Thuy Tran, Michael Joseph Diaz, Daphnee Rodriguez, Giona Kleinberg, Shaliz Aflatooni, Siri Palreddy, Parsa Abdi, Kamil Taneja, Sai Batchu and Mahtab Forouzandeh
Antioxidants 2023, 12(8), 1503; https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox12081503 - 27 Jul 2023
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2134
Abstract
Skin conditions are a significant cause of fatal and nonfatal disease burdens globally, ranging from mild irritations to debilitating diseases. Oxidative stress, which is an imbalance between reactive oxygen species and the cells’ ability to repair damage, is implicated in various skin diseases. [...] Read more.
Skin conditions are a significant cause of fatal and nonfatal disease burdens globally, ranging from mild irritations to debilitating diseases. Oxidative stress, which is an imbalance between reactive oxygen species and the cells’ ability to repair damage, is implicated in various skin diseases. Antioxidants have been studied for their potential benefits in dermatologic health, but the evidence is limited and conflicting. Herein, we conducted a systematic review of controlled trials, meta-analyses, and Cochrane review articles to evaluate the current evidence on the utility of antioxidant supplementation for adjunct prevention and treatment of skin disease and to provide a comprehensive assessment of their role in promoting dermatologic health. The Cochrane Library, PubMed, EMBASE, and Epistemonikos databases were queried. Eligibility criteria included (1) primary focus on nanoparticle utility for skin cancer; (2) includes measurable outcomes data with robust comparators; (3) includes a number of human subjects or cell-line types, where applicable; (4) English language; and (5) archived as full-text journal articles. A total of 55 articles met the eligibility criteria for the present review. Qualitative analysis revealed that topical and oral antioxidant supplementation has demonstrated preliminary efficacy in reducing sunburns, depigmentation, and photoaging. Dietary exogenous antioxidants (namely vitamins A, C, and E) have shown chemopreventive effects against skin cancer. Antioxidant supplementation has also shown efficacy in treating non-cancer dermatoses, including rosacea, psoriasis, atopic dermatitis, and acne vulgaris. While further studies are needed to validate these findings on a larger scale, antioxidant supplementation holds promise for improving skin health and preventing skin diseases. Full article
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