This Research Topic is part of a series with:
The Role of Medicinal Plants and Natural Products in Modulating Oxidative Stress and Inflammatory Related Disorders, Volume II

Oxidative and inflammatory reactions are required processes involved in the defense and normal physiological functioning of living systems. Both oxidative stress and inflammation are responsible for the host defense and neuronal transduction. However, exacerbation of this response has been associated with degenerative processes and metabolic diseases such as metabolic syndrome (obesity and diabetes), cardiovascular and gastrointestinal diseases, neurodegeneration, rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, and cancer. Oxidative stress is mediated by free radicals which include reactive oxygen species (ROS), and reactive nitrogen species (RNS). Naturally, cells possess antioxidant defense mechanisms which are able to decrease oxidative stress and inflammatory process. Consequences of oxidative and inflammatory reactions abound only when free radicals/reactive oxygen species outweigh the cells defense mechanisms; in such case, exogenous antioxidants and anti-inflammatory substances may be helpful.

Though clinical interventions to curb excesses of the oxidative and inflammatory processes are currently used, there are still concerns about the cost, availability and undesirable effects. Hence, medicinal plants readily available, cost effective, relatively safe, and their active components which constitute a library of molecules/compounds with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities such as phenolics, flavonoids, alkaloids and steroids are widely considered an important natural source to be further investigated. These molecules may work collectively in synergy as whole extracts or individually as pure compounds.

This Research Topic is aimed at identifying therapeutic potentials of medicinal plants extracts and or their pure compounds for the management of pathological conditions related to oxidative and inflammatory processes which may play a role in reducing synthetic drug use for the treatment of these complications. Medicinal plants may be used also as adjuvants to the pharmacological treatment.

With this Research Topic, we also aim at a better understanding of the suitability of different (in vivo and in vitro) methods for evaluating anti-inflammatory effects, especially in view of improving the evidence-base for such preparations. This includes assessments of which animal models are useful and which ones are not (note, that, for example, the rat paw oedema model is not accepted in the context of the Journal's best practice guidelines).

The following subtopics serve a guide and not a limitation:
1. Extraction and characterization of anti-inflammatory and antioxidant compounds;
2. In-vitro/in-vivo evaluation of antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities of extracts/compounds;
3. Molecular mechanisms of action of extracts/compounds as antioxidant/anti-inflammatory agents.

Note to the authors:

Chemical assays like the FRAP, ABTS, DPPH, and Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity assays are of no therapeutic relevance and may only be used to define the chemical profile of a preparation.

Upon submission, authors will need to select the Section of the Journal they wish to submit to, and the studies need to adhere to the scope of the section as well as quality guidelines, if applicable. Please see below.

- Ethnopharmacology – Studies submitted must comply with the “Four Pillars of Best Practice in Ethnopharmacology” (you can freely download the full version here) and fit in the scope of the section (see here).

- Inflammation Pharmacology – Studies submitted must fit in the scope of the section (see here).

All the submitted manuscripts will be peer-reviewed and, if accepted, articles will be published in the Journal Frontiers in Pharmacology.

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