Medicinal Plants in the Treatment of Myocardial Injury and Vascular Diseases

Many cardiovascular drugs such as reserpine, digoxin, and deslanoside are isolated and developed from plants. Medicinal plants have many bioactive compounds with various pharmacological activities. Traditionally, medicinal plants have been used to aid the sick. Parkia speciosa Hassk root decoction, Diospyros kaki L. and Annona muricata Linn. fruits are used to treat hypertension in folk medicine. Interestingly, their traditional effects have been proven in many experimental studies. Research in medicinal plants has progressed into the isolation and identification of the active compounds that are present in the extracts. For instance, sappanone A from Caesalpinia sappan L. has been demonstrated to protect against myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury, imperatorin from Angelicae dahuricae Fisch. ex Hoffm. could prevent cardiac hypertrophy in mice, while brazilin from Caesalpinia sappan L. could induce aortic relaxation in rats. Studies involving medicinal plants have shown promising outcomes in various cardiovascular disease models. The bioactive compounds have the potentials to improve the severity of cardiovascular disease.

In this Research Topic, we aim to collect studies carried out with crude extracts which are typically used in a traditional context, or with isolated bioactive compounds for the treatment of myocardial injury and vascular disease, focusing on the possible mechanisms of action. We welcome studies that explore potential pharmacological targets and new therapeutic uses of medicinal plants, as well as the efficacy of plant-derived lead compounds. Pre-clinical and clinical studies involving medicinal plants on these medical conditions are most welcome.

We encourage submissions in the form of Original Research, Mini Review, and Review, among other article types, that discuss the effects and possible mechanisms of medicinal plants extracts or their bioactive compounds involved in cardiovascular disease. Such subtopics may include, but are not limited to:
• Effects of medicinal plant extracts on myocardial injury and vascular disease;
• Molecular targets of medicinal plants on myocardial injury and vascular disease;
• Pharmacokinetic studies of potential cardiovascular drugs for myocardial injury and vascular disease derived from medicinal plants.

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One can find more information about the Article Type guidelines in the Ethnopharmacology section here.

All the manuscripts submitted to this project will be peer-reviewed and need to fully comply with the Four Pillars of Best Practice in Ethnopharmacology (you can freely download the full version here).