REVIEW article
Front. Nutr.
Sec. Nutrition, Psychology and Brain Health
Volume 12 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fnut.2025.1591534
This article is part of the Research TopicThe Foundational Components and Elements of Plant Foods for Neurological Nutrition and Well-beingView all 3 articles
The Neurobiology of Plant-Based Therapeutics in Women's Reproductive Health: Mechanisms, Efficacy, and Clinical Translation
Provisionally accepted
- 1Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, China
- 2Chengdu Women and Children’s Central Hospital, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China
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This review examines the neurobiological mechanisms by which plant-derived compounds influence women's reproductive health through the neuroendocrine-reproductive axis. Gynecological disorders frequently present with neurological manifestations, including cognitive decline in perimenopause, anxiety and depression in polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), and central sensitization in endometriosis. Bioactive compounds from medicinal plants, including polyphenols and phytoestrogens, demonstrate therapeutic potential through their anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and neuromodulatory properties. These multi-target compounds offer advantages over conventional single-target therapies by simultaneously regulating multiple physiological processes. The review explores applications in specific gynecological conditions and discusses the development of dietary supplements and functional foods incorporating these plant-derived ingredients. The growing market for these products presents opportunities for innovative formulations with enhanced bioavailability and personalized approaches. Future research directions include integrating neuroimaging with herbal research, improving clinical translation, and establishing regulatory frameworks for the global application of these plant-derived interventions to enhance female neuroendocrine-reproductive health.
Keywords: Author's contribution XL: Writin-original draft. CB: Writing-original draft. ZZ: Writing-original draft. TZ: Writing-original draft, Resources. KW: Data curation, Formal analysis. YL: Validation, Resources. QL: Methodology, Formal analysis. SW: Funding acquisition, supervision, Writing-original draft, Writing-review & editing neuroendocrine-reproductive axis
Received: 11 Mar 2025; Accepted: 24 Apr 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Liu, Bin, Zhou, Zeng, Wu, Luo, Liu and Wei. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Xue Liu, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, China
Shaobin Wei, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, China
Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.