Natural products comprising medicinal plants and marine organisms have previously been reported to show a wide array of therapeutic activities. They showed to be relatively cheap with higher safety margins when compared to synthetic chemical entities. Inflammation is a complicated pathophysiological reaction caused by a series of molecular signals provoked by leukocytes, macrophages as well as mast cells. Leukocytes infiltration, concomitant fluid and protein extravasation at the site of inflammation and stimulation of various complement factors trigger edema. Chronic inflammation, prolonged untreated inflammation that lasts for many weeks to years, negatively affect tissue remodeling that ultimately causes several hazardous disorders such as inflammatory/ autoimmune diseases, cancers, diabetes and neurodegeneration. Exploring novel entities with considerable bioactivities that could serve as drug leads, exhibiting high selectivity, efficacy as well as safety, is felt mandatory in the health care system and pharmaceutical industries. Natural products represented by medicinal plants and marine organisms in general and their secondary metabolites in particular serve as everlasting sources of significant secondary metabolites that showed considerable anti-inflammatory potential prohibiting inflammation via plethora of mechanisms.
Additionally, natural metabolites are commonly present in food, cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries because of their high acceptability among consumers owing to their relative safety, multipurpose beneficial effect relative to synthetic agent. In this special issue, we aim to address the role and effectiveness of various natural product based drugs that are used to control obesity and other disorders that provoke inflammation. This ultimately leads to the discovery of new drug entities that may act as leads for pharmaceutical industries combating this problem. Short communications, research articles as well as review articles are welcomed. Only studies which address chemically defined compounds are accepted in order to avoid submission on extracts, and undefined mixtures of essential oils and natural products.
Potential topics include the following:
• Isolation and structural elucidation of secondary metabolites from plants /or marine organisms to control obesity and additional inflammation triggering agents.
• Metabolic profiling of phytoconstituents in plant extracts that showed a significant combating to control obesity and other disorders that trigger and provoke inflammation.
• Essential oils counteracting obesity and other inflammation provoking agents.
• Mechanistic interpretation of the anti-obesity activity of some natural product based drugs through interpretation of their biochemical pathways and their effect in prevention of inflammation.
• Studies dealing with molecular modelling supported by in vitro and/ or in vivo studies for anti-obesity potential of medicinal plants and their metabolites are also welcomed
However, performing experiments on plant extract or essential oils without their phytochemical characterization via LC/MS profiling or structural elucidation of isolated phytoconstituents for the former or doing GC analyses for the latter, will not be within the scope of the topic.
Natural products comprising medicinal plants and marine organisms have previously been reported to show a wide array of therapeutic activities. They showed to be relatively cheap with higher safety margins when compared to synthetic chemical entities. Inflammation is a complicated pathophysiological reaction caused by a series of molecular signals provoked by leukocytes, macrophages as well as mast cells. Leukocytes infiltration, concomitant fluid and protein extravasation at the site of inflammation and stimulation of various complement factors trigger edema. Chronic inflammation, prolonged untreated inflammation that lasts for many weeks to years, negatively affect tissue remodeling that ultimately causes several hazardous disorders such as inflammatory/ autoimmune diseases, cancers, diabetes and neurodegeneration. Exploring novel entities with considerable bioactivities that could serve as drug leads, exhibiting high selectivity, efficacy as well as safety, is felt mandatory in the health care system and pharmaceutical industries. Natural products represented by medicinal plants and marine organisms in general and their secondary metabolites in particular serve as everlasting sources of significant secondary metabolites that showed considerable anti-inflammatory potential prohibiting inflammation via plethora of mechanisms.
Additionally, natural metabolites are commonly present in food, cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries because of their high acceptability among consumers owing to their relative safety, multipurpose beneficial effect relative to synthetic agent. In this special issue, we aim to address the role and effectiveness of various natural product based drugs that are used to control obesity and other disorders that provoke inflammation. This ultimately leads to the discovery of new drug entities that may act as leads for pharmaceutical industries combating this problem. Short communications, research articles as well as review articles are welcomed. Only studies which address chemically defined compounds are accepted in order to avoid submission on extracts, and undefined mixtures of essential oils and natural products.
Potential topics include the following:
• Isolation and structural elucidation of secondary metabolites from plants /or marine organisms to control obesity and additional inflammation triggering agents.
• Metabolic profiling of phytoconstituents in plant extracts that showed a significant combating to control obesity and other disorders that trigger and provoke inflammation.
• Essential oils counteracting obesity and other inflammation provoking agents.
• Mechanistic interpretation of the anti-obesity activity of some natural product based drugs through interpretation of their biochemical pathways and their effect in prevention of inflammation.
• Studies dealing with molecular modelling supported by in vitro and/ or in vivo studies for anti-obesity potential of medicinal plants and their metabolites are also welcomed
However, performing experiments on plant extract or essential oils without their phytochemical characterization via LC/MS profiling or structural elucidation of isolated phytoconstituents for the former or doing GC analyses for the latter, will not be within the scope of the topic.
