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The Role of Natural Products in Immunopharmacology
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The Role of Natural Products in Immunopharmacology

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (10 May 2023) | Viewed by 16619

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Giulia Accardi

E-Mail Website1 Website2
Guest Editor
Laboratory of Immunopathology and Immunosenescence, Department of Biomedicine, Neuroscience and Advanced Diagnostics, University of Palermo, Corso Tuköry, 211, 90134 Palermo, Italy
Interests: aging; nutrition; inflammation nutraceuticals; longevity; centenarians
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Anna Aiello

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Laboratory of Immunopathology and Immunosenescence, Department of Biomedicine, Neuroscience and Advanced Diagnostics, University of Palermo, 90134 Palermo, Italy
Interests: inflamm-aging; immunogenetics; nutritional interventions; positive biology; viral infections
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Danila Di Majo

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Biomedicine, Neuroscience and Advanced Diagnostics (BiND), University of Palermo, Via del Vespro 129, 90127 Palermo, Italy
Interests: physiology of nutrition; controlled feeding studies; phytonutrients; relationships between dietary intake and physiological outcomes; malnourishment; metabolism; multiple sclerosis
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues, 

Natural products and their related ingredients have historically and regionally been used for the treatment of a variety of disorders. However, scientific proof of the natural products that have been used is still lacking in some cases. This can be a very important source of evidence for pharmaceutical development and functional food development. In this Special Issue, the natural products isolated by molecular approaches are welcome, with applications in pharmacological and nutraceutical fields. Articles containing only data obtained from extracts are not accepted. This is because the focus should be on natural compounds along with derivatives, and more specifically on clarifying the mechanisms of action to improve immune disorders. This Special Issue collects original research articles, review articles, and short communications highlighting the various mechanisms regulated by natural products in several immune disorders.

Dr. Giulia Accardi
Dr. Anna Aiello
Dr. Danila Di Majo
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.

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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14 pages, 3830 KiB  
Article
The Double-Edged Sword of Oleuropein in Ovarian Cancer Cells: From Antioxidant Functions to Cytotoxic Effects
by Stefania Scicchitano, Eleonora Vecchio, Anna Martina Battaglia, Manuela Oliverio, Monica Nardi, Antonio Procopio, Francesco Costanzo, Flavia Biamonte and Maria Concetta Faniello
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(1), 842; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms24010842 - 03 Jan 2023
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 2231
Abstract
Oleuropein plays a key role as a pro-oxidant as well as an antioxidant in cancer. In this study, the activity of oleuropein, in an in vitro model of ovarian (OCCs) and breast cancer cells (BCCs) was investigated. Cell viability and cell death were [...] Read more.
Oleuropein plays a key role as a pro-oxidant as well as an antioxidant in cancer. In this study, the activity of oleuropein, in an in vitro model of ovarian (OCCs) and breast cancer cells (BCCs) was investigated. Cell viability and cell death were analyzed. Oxidative stress was measured by CM-H2DCFDA flow cytometry assay. Mitochondrial dysfunction was evaluated based on mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (ROS) and GPX4 protein levels. Further, the effects on iron metabolism were analyzed by measuring the intracellular labile iron pool (LIP). We confirmed that high doses of oleuropein show anti-proliferative and pro-apoptotic activity on HEY and MCF-7 cells. Moreover, our results indicate that low doses of oleuropein impair cell viability without affecting the mortality of cells, and also decrease the LIP and ROS levels, keeping them unchanged in MCF-7 cells. For the first time, our data show that low doses of oleuropein reduce erastin-mediated cell death. Interestingly, oleuropein decreases the levels of intracellular ROS and LIP in OCCs treated with erastin. Noteworthily, we observed an increased amount of ROS scavenging enzyme GPX4 together with a consistent reduction in mitochondrial ROS, confirming a reduction in oxidative stress in this model. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Role of Natural Products in Immunopharmacology)
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Review

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14 pages, 652 KiB  
Review
The Nutraceutical Properties of Rhus coriaria Linn: Potential Application on Human Health and Aging Biomedicine
by Anna Calabrò, Mattia Emanuela Ligotti, Giulia Accardi, Danila Di Majo, Calogero Caruso, Giuseppina Candore and Anna Aiello
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(7), 6206; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms24076206 - 25 Mar 2023
Viewed by 1377
Abstract
Rhus coriaria Linn is a little plant growing in the Mediterranean basin, including Sicily, where it is known as Sicilian Sumac. Since antiquity, it has been used as a medicinal herb, considering its pharmacological properties and its recognized anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and antimicrobial effects. [...] Read more.
Rhus coriaria Linn is a little plant growing in the Mediterranean basin, including Sicily, where it is known as Sicilian Sumac. Since antiquity, it has been used as a medicinal herb, considering its pharmacological properties and its recognized anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and antimicrobial effects. Multiple studies have highlighted that the beneficial properties of Sumac extracts depend on the abundance of phytochemicals such as polyphenols, fatty acids, minerals, and fibers. Despite its wide use as a spice, the literature on Sumac effects on humans’ health and aging is still scarce. Considering its great nutraceutical potential, Sumac could be used to treat age-related diseases such as those in which the inflammatory process plays a crucial role in manifestation and progression. Thus, Sumac could be an interesting new insight in the biomedical field, especially in aging biomedicine. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Role of Natural Products in Immunopharmacology)
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22 pages, 2232 KiB  
Review
COVID-19 and Cancer Diseases—The Potential of Coriolus versicolor Mushroom to Combat Global Health Challenges
by Tomasz Jędrzejewski, Małgorzata Pawlikowska, Justyna Sobocińska and Sylwia Wrotek
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(5), 4864; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms24054864 - 02 Mar 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 5747
Abstract
Coriolus versicolor (CV) is a common species from the Polyporaceae family that has been used in traditional Chinese herbal medicine for over 2000 years. Among well-described and most active compounds identified in CV are polysaccharopeptides, such as polysaccharide peptide (PSP) and Polysaccharide-K (PSK, [...] Read more.
Coriolus versicolor (CV) is a common species from the Polyporaceae family that has been used in traditional Chinese herbal medicine for over 2000 years. Among well-described and most active compounds identified in CV are polysaccharopeptides, such as polysaccharide peptide (PSP) and Polysaccharide-K (PSK, krestin), which, in some countries, are already used as an adjuvant agent in cancer therapy. In this paper, research advances in the field of anti-cancer and anti-viral action of CV are analyzed. The results of data obtained in in vitro and in vivo studies using animal models as well as in clinical research trials have been discussed. The present update provides a brief overview regarding the immunomodulatory effects of CV. A particular focus has been given to the mechanisms of direct effects of CV on cancer cells and angiogenesis. A potential use of CV compounds in anti-viral treatment, including therapy against COVID-19 disease, has also been analyzed based on the most recent literature. Additionally, the significance of fever in viral infection and cancer has been debated, providing evidence that CV affects this phenomenon. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Role of Natural Products in Immunopharmacology)
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23 pages, 2191 KiB  
Review
Effects of Oleuropein and Hydroxytyrosol on Inflammatory Mediators: Consequences on Inflammaging
by Fanny Pojero, Anna Aiello, Francesco Gervasi, Calogero Caruso, Mattia Emanuela Ligotti, Anna Calabrò, Antonio Procopio, Giuseppina Candore, Giulia Accardi and Mario Allegra
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(1), 380; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms24010380 - 26 Dec 2022
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 2943
Abstract
Aging is associated with a low-grade, systemic inflammatory state defined as “inflammaging”, ruled by the loss of proper regulation of the immune system leading to the accumulation of pro-inflammatory mediators. Such a condition is closely connected to an increased risk of developing chronic [...] Read more.
Aging is associated with a low-grade, systemic inflammatory state defined as “inflammaging”, ruled by the loss of proper regulation of the immune system leading to the accumulation of pro-inflammatory mediators. Such a condition is closely connected to an increased risk of developing chronic diseases. A number of studies demonstrate that olive oil phenolic compound oleuropein and its derivative hydroxytyrosol contribute to modulating tissue inflammation and oxidative stress, thus becoming attractive potential candidates to be used in the context of nutraceutical interventions, in order to ameliorate systemic inflammation in aging subjects. In this review, we aim to summarize the available data about the anti-inflammatory properties of oleuropein and hydroxytyrosol, discussing them in the light of molecular pathways involved in the synthesis and release of inflammatory mediators in inflammaging. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Role of Natural Products in Immunopharmacology)
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13 pages, 938 KiB  
Review
Immunomodulatory Properties of Polysaccharides from Lentinula edodes
by Aleksander Roszczyk, Jadwiga Turło, Radosław Zagożdżon and Beata Kaleta
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2022, 23(16), 8980; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms23168980 - 11 Aug 2022
Cited by 19 | Viewed by 3606
Abstract
Lentinula edodes (Berk.) Pegler, also known as shiitake mushroom, is a popular edible macrofungus and a source of numerous bioactive substances with multiple beneficial health effects. L. edodes-derived polysaccharides are the most valuable compounds, with anticancer, antioxidant, antimicrobial, and immunomodulatory properties. It [...] Read more.
Lentinula edodes (Berk.) Pegler, also known as shiitake mushroom, is a popular edible macrofungus and a source of numerous bioactive substances with multiple beneficial health effects. L. edodes-derived polysaccharides are the most valuable compounds, with anticancer, antioxidant, antimicrobial, and immunomodulatory properties. It has been demonstrated that their biological activity depends on the extraction method, which affects monosaccharide composition, molecular weight, branching degrees, and helical conformation. In this review, we discuss the immunomodulatory properties of various polysaccharides from L. edodes in animal models and in humans. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Role of Natural Products in Immunopharmacology)
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