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REVIEW article
Front. Pharmacol.
Sec. Cardiovascular and Smooth Muscle Pharmacology
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fphar.2025.1524584
Review Impact of Plant-Derived Antioxidants on Heart Aging: A Mechanistic outlook
Provisionally accepted
Muneer Ahmed Khoso *
Heng Liu Tong Zhao Wenjie Zhao Qiang Huang Zeqi Sun 
Динислам Хузин Chen Chen Lingyi Kong Yong Zhang * Xin Liu *- Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular Medicine Research, Ministry of Education, Department of Pharmacology, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, Heilongjiang Province, China
Heart aging involves a complex interplay of genetic and environmental influences, leading to a gradual deterioration of cardiovascular integrity and function. Age-related physiological changes, including ventricular hypertrophy, diastolic dysfunction, myocardial fibrosis, increased arterial stiffness, and endothelial dysfunction, are influenced by key mechanisms like autophagy, inflammation, and oxidative stress. This review aims to explore the therapeutic potential of plantderived bioactive antioxidants in mitigating heart aging. These compounds, often rich in polyphenols, flavonoids, and other phytochemicals, exhibit notable antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and cardioprotective properties. These substances have intricate cardioprotective properties, including the ability to scavenge ROS, enhance endogenous antioxidant defenses, regulate signaling pathways, and impede fibrosis and inflammation-promoting processes. By focusing on key molecular mechanisms linked to cardiac aging, antioxidants produced from plants provide significant promise to reduce age-related cardiovascular decline and improve general heart health. Through a comprehensive analysis of preclinical and clinical studies, this work highlights the mechanisms associated with heart aging and the promising effects of plant-derived antioxidants. The findings may helpful for researchers in identifying specific molecules with therapeutic and preventive potential for aging heart.
Keywords: Heart aging, Cardiac alterations, Antioxidants, Mechanism, Reactive Oxygen Species
Received: 07 Nov 2024; Accepted: 07 Mar 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Khoso, Liu, Zhao, Zhao, Huang, Sun, Хузин, Chen, Kong, Zhang and Liu. 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:
Muneer Ahmed Khoso, Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular Medicine Research, Ministry of Education, Department of Pharmacology, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, 150081, Heilongjiang Province, China
Yong Zhang, Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular Medicine Research, Ministry of Education, Department of Pharmacology, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, 150081, Heilongjiang Province, China
Xin Liu, Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular Medicine Research, Ministry of Education, Department of Pharmacology, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, 150081, Heilongjiang Province, 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.