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Medical Plants and Polyphenols
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Medical Plants and Polyphenols

A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Plant Sciences".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (28 February 2021) | Viewed by 26987

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Francesca Truzzi

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Agricultural and Food Science, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
Interests: plant extracts for human health, nutraceutical food proprieties, polyphenols, wheat proteins, medical plants, human cell culture models
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Ilaria Marotti

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Agricultural and Food Sciences, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
Interests: medicinal and aromatic plants, multifunctional crops, nutraceuticals, antioxidant activity, phytochemicals, polyphenols
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Giovanni Dinelli

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Agricultural and Food Sciences, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
Interests: organic agriculture; agroecology; food health; circular economy; plant secondary metabolities
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The growing awareness of the benefits of diets rich in plant products in order to ensure adequate intake of most macronutrients, dietary fibre, vitamins, micronutrients and phytochemicals that are able to promote human health is becoming prevalent among the population. Since ancient times, humans have considered plants and their extracts for healing purposes and so they have been used to cure and prevent diseases. Recently, thanks to their several positive activities among human health, the content of phytonutrients in medical plant products is covering considerable importance.

Because of their nutraceutical and beneficial properties, the phytonutrients contained in medical plants are worth to be considered, one of these are polyphenols (phenolic acids, flavonoids, stilbenes and lignans). These compounds are important bioactive secondary metabolites that have long been studied for their curing and preventing capacities and so they have been considered as potential sources for pharmaceutical and medical applications. The several benefits of polyphenols among human health have been widely shown, such as reducing of the risk of metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular diseases, stroke, anaemia, gastric ulcer, rheumatoid arthritis and also show wound healing, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antidiabetic, antitumoral capacities and so on. Of course, also other phytonutrients like flavonoids (such as apigenin, kaempferol, quercetin and luteolin), carotenoids, PUFA, vitamin A, vitamin C and vitamin E are worth to be considered. All these health benefits add value to agriculture and contribute to understand the importance of studying the nutraceutical composition of medical plant products and of investigating their beneficial effects on human health through scientific methods.

The objective of this proposed Special Issue on “Medical Plants and Polyphenols” is to publish selected papers (reviews or experimental studies) detailing nutraceutical and molecular aspects of polyphenols extracted from medical plants, in order to highlight the nutritional value of certain foods and, thereafter, to improve human overall good health.

Dr. Francesca Truzzi
Prof. Ilaria Marotti
Prof. Giovanni Dinelli
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. International Journal of Molecular Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. There is an Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal. For details about the APC please see here. 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

  • Medical plants
  • Nutraceutical extracts
  • Bioactive ingredients
  • Polyphenols
  • Mechanism of action of polyphenols
  • Human health

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Review

23 pages, 2472 KiB  
Review
An Overview on Dietary Polyphenols and Their Biopharmaceutical Classification System (BCS)
by Francesca Truzzi, Camilla Tibaldi, Yanxin Zhang, Giovanni Dinelli and Eros D′Amen
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2021, 22(11), 5514; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms22115514 - 24 May 2021
Cited by 63 | Viewed by 9260
Abstract
Polyphenols are natural organic compounds produced by plants, acting as antioxidants by reacting with ROS. These compounds are widely consumed in daily diet and many studies report several benefits to human health thanks to their bioavailability in humans. However, the digestion process of [...] Read more.
Polyphenols are natural organic compounds produced by plants, acting as antioxidants by reacting with ROS. These compounds are widely consumed in daily diet and many studies report several benefits to human health thanks to their bioavailability in humans. However, the digestion process of phenolic compounds is still not completely clear. Moreover, bioavailability is dependent on the metabolic phase of these compounds. The LogP value can be managed as a simplified measure of the lipophilicity of a substance ingested within the human body, which affects resultant absorption. The biopharmaceutical classification system (BCS), a method used to classify drugs intended for gastrointestinal absorption, correlates the solubility and permeability of the drug with both the rate and extent of oral absorption. BCS may be helpful to measure the bioactive constituents of foods, such as polyphenols, in order to understand their nutraceutical potential. There are many literature studies that focus on permeability, absorption, and bioavailability of polyphenols and their resultant metabolic byproducts, but there is still confusion about their respective LogP values and BCS classification. This review will provide an overview of the information regarding 10 dietarypolyphenols (ferulic acid, chlorogenic acid, rutin, quercetin, apigenin, cirsimaritin, daidzein, resveratrol, ellagic acid, and curcumin) and their association with the BCS classification. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Medical Plants and Polyphenols)
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22 pages, 1949 KiB  
Review
The Potential Role of Flavonoids in Ameliorating Diabetic Cardiomyopathy via Alleviation of Cardiac Oxidative Stress, Inflammation and Apoptosis
by Fatin Farhana Jubaidi, Satirah Zainalabidin, Izatus Shima Taib, Zariyantey Abd Hamid and Siti Balkis Budin
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2021, 22(10), 5094; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms22105094 - 12 May 2021
Cited by 55 | Viewed by 4310
Abstract
Diabetic cardiomyopathy is one of the major mortality risk factors among diabetic patients worldwide. It has been established that most of the cardiac structural and functional alterations in the diabetic cardiomyopathy condition resulted from the hyperglycemia-induced persistent oxidative stress in the heart, resulting [...] Read more.
Diabetic cardiomyopathy is one of the major mortality risk factors among diabetic patients worldwide. It has been established that most of the cardiac structural and functional alterations in the diabetic cardiomyopathy condition resulted from the hyperglycemia-induced persistent oxidative stress in the heart, resulting in the maladaptive responses of inflammation and apoptosis. Flavonoids, the most abundant phytochemical in plants, have been reported to exhibit diverse therapeutic potential in medicine and other biological activities. Flavonoids have been widely studied for their effects in protecting the heart against diabetes-induced cardiomyopathy. The potential of flavonoids in alleviating diabetic cardiomyopathy is mainly related with their remedial actions as anti-hyperglycemic, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-apoptotic agents. In this review, we summarize the latest findings of flavonoid treatments on diabetic cardiomyopathy as well as elucidating the mechanisms involved. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Medical Plants and Polyphenols)
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24 pages, 1480 KiB  
Review
Beneficial Effects of Phenolic Compounds on Gut Microbiota and Metabolic Syndrome
by Kamila Kasprzak-Drozd, Tomasz Oniszczuk, Mateusz Stasiak and Anna Oniszczuk
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2021, 22(7), 3715; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms22073715 - 02 Apr 2021
Cited by 71 | Viewed by 7510
Abstract
The human intestine contains an intricate community of microorganisms, referred to as the gut microbiota (GM), which plays a pivotal role in host homeostasis. Multiple factors could interfere with this delicate balance, including genetics, age, medicines and environmental factors, particularly diet. Growing evidence [...] Read more.
The human intestine contains an intricate community of microorganisms, referred to as the gut microbiota (GM), which plays a pivotal role in host homeostasis. Multiple factors could interfere with this delicate balance, including genetics, age, medicines and environmental factors, particularly diet. Growing evidence supports the involvement of GM dysbiosis in gastrointestinal (GI) and extraintestinal metabolic diseases. The beneficial effects of dietary polyphenols in preventing metabolic diseases have been subjected to intense investigation over the last twenty years. As our understanding of the role of the gut microbiota advances and our knowledge of the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory functions of polyphenols accumulates, there emerges a need to examine the prebiotic role of dietary polyphenols. This review firstly overviews the importance of the GM in health and disease and then reviews the role of dietary polyphenols on the modulation of the gut microbiota, their metabolites and how they impact on host health benefits. Inter-dependence between the gut microbiota and polyphenol metabolites and the vital balance between the two in maintaining the host gut homeostasis are also discussed. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Medical Plants and Polyphenols)
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21 pages, 2942 KiB  
Review
Cyanidin 3-O-galactoside: A Natural Compound with Multiple Health Benefits
by Zhongxin Liang, Hongrui Liang, Yizhan Guo and Dong Yang
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2021, 22(5), 2261; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms22052261 - 24 Feb 2021
Cited by 41 | Viewed by 5083
Abstract
Cyanidin 3-O-galactoside (Cy3Gal) is one of the most widespread anthocyanins that positively impacts the health of animals and humans. Since it is available from a wide range of natural sources, such as fruits (apples and berries in particular), substantial studies were [...] Read more.
Cyanidin 3-O-galactoside (Cy3Gal) is one of the most widespread anthocyanins that positively impacts the health of animals and humans. Since it is available from a wide range of natural sources, such as fruits (apples and berries in particular), substantial studies were performed to investigate its biosynthesis, chemical stability, natural occurrences and content, extraction methods, physiological functions, as well as potential applications. In this review, we focus on presenting the previous studies on the abovementioned aspects of Cy3Gal. As a conclusion, Cy3Gal shares a common biosynthesis pathway and analogous stability with other anthocyanins. Galactosyltransferase utilizing uridine diphosphate galactose (UDP-galactose) and cyanidin as substrates is unique for Cy3Gal biosynthesis. Extraction employing different methods reveals chokeberry as the most practical natural source for mass-production of this compound. The antioxidant properties and other health effects, including anti-inflammatory, anticancer, antidiabetic, anti-toxicity, cardiovascular, and nervous protective capacities, are highlighted in purified Cy3Gal and in its combination with other polyphenols. These unique properties of Cy3Gal are discussed and compared with other anthocyanins with related structure for an in-depth evaluation of its potential value as food additives or health supplement. Emphasis is laid on the description of its physiological functions confirmed via various approaches. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Medical Plants and Polyphenols)
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