Dear Colleagues,

In recent decades, special attention has been devoted to oxidative stress, due to its implication in a variety of pathologic conditions, including neurodegeneration, cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, atherosclerosis, metabolic ailments, diabetes mellitus, aging and cancer. It arises from an imbalance between the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and the intrinsic antioxidant defenses due to several stressors, among which environmental pollutants, chemicals, physical and biological factors (e.g., viruses). ROS overproduction can inflict severe damages to the cell and modulate various cell signaling pathways, such as Nrf2, NF-κB, and STAT3, along with growth factors, cytokines, and enzymes, involved in cell survival and transformation, epigenetic changes, inflammation and immune response, leading to dysfunction and disease occurrence. Moreover, redox imbalance has been increasingly recognized as a contributing factor in the development of severe forms of viral infections, since it can favor viral replication and inflammatory response, and impair immune system response. This evidence has strengthened the interest in redox-modulating agents, especially those introduced through diet and food supplements, as alternative strategies to be exploited in disease prevention and health promotion. Among natural antioxidants, plant polyphenols have been found able to favor health maintenance by boosting antioxidant defenses, thus becoming interesting candidates for both pharmaceutical and nutraceutical applications. Moreover, antioxidant herbal extracts from medicinal plants, food, and their waste have received great attention due to the possible subtle synergistic interactions which can occur among the phytochemicals, leading to increased benefits and lowered toxicity. However, the suitable extraction procedures for antioxidants, molecular mechanisms, pharmacokinetic issues, and efficacy remain to be clarified, to fully exploit these remarkable properties.      

The aim of this Special Issue is to collect original articles and review papers focused on recent advances in antioxidant research, including the discovery of novel sources of antioxidants, with a special interest in chemically characterized extracts from waste and innovative production, investigations about the role of antioxidant agents against various pro-oxidant stressors and in experimental models of inflammatory and oxidative related diseases, mechanistic insights into the modulation of enzyme functions, gut microbiome, cell signalings and of molecular targets involved in redox balance, pharmacokinetic and digestion studies, and clinical trials supporting safety and efficacy of antioxidants in patients. Special attention will be devoted to papers dealing with the role of antioxidants in cancers, like modulators of Nrf2, known to act both as a regulator of oxidative stress response and as an inducer of chemoresistance. Papers addressing pharmaceutical formulations to improve bioavailability and delivery of antioxidants to targets are welcome too.

Dr. Antonella Di Sotto
Dr. Silvia Di Giacomo
Guest Editors

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• plant-based herbal extracts
• waste
• natural substances
• polyphenols
• terpenes
• phenolic acids
• diabetes
• viral infections
• chemoprevention
• chemoresistance
• metabolism
• neuroprotection
• molecular mechanisms
• Nrf2
• G6PDH
• gut microbiome