The Biological Role of Natural Products in Inflammatory Bowel Disease: New Therapeutic Strategies

Dear Colleagues,

Despite the incredible progress of modern medicine, significant hurdles remain in the path of treatment for IBD. New treatment options for IBD are continually explored, and new drugs are discovered. However, chemically synthesized disease drugs are always affected by adverse reactions, resulting in limited routes of administration and the impossibility to guarantee their effectiveness. Therefore, in the search for new pharmacologically active substances that could be used for the treatment of IBD, natural ingredients from various sources, such as plants, animals, and microorganisms, are currently receiving great attention. Studies have shown that natural products, including natural medicines, their extracts, and metabolites, can effectively treat IBD. There is strong evidence that natural products play a vital role in the prevention and treatment of IBD. A literature review revealed that the natural components have demonstrated favorable results in various in vivo and in vitro studies. Natural compounds are gaining importance due to their potential for health promotion and disease prevention. Many IBD patients are turning to complementary/alternative medicine, which includes traditional plant-based remedies, as several studies have shown that natural products, for example, those derived from plants and herbs, exhibit a wide variety of mechanisms such as (1) maintenance of intestinal epithelial barrier or integrity, (2) regulation of macrophage activation, (3) modulation of innate and adaptive immune responses, and inhibition of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) activity, resulting in the effective regulation of impaired activities in IBD. Clinical studies analyzing the efficacy of natural compounds in the treatment of IBD are still lacking, and more efforts should focus on studies aimed at identifying specific molecular pathways implicated in the etiogenesis of the disease and with which natural molecules could interfere.

Prof. Dr. Lorenza Speranza
Dr. Sara Franceschelli
Guest Editors

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• natural compounds
• inflammation
• oxidative stress
• IBD
• intestinal epithelial barrier