About this Research Topic
The advancement of high quality data from the human genome and metabolome has led to the exploration of the effect of various natural products in the treatment of neurological and neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's disease (PD), Alzheimer's disease (AD), frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD) and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Notably, the enormous structural complexity and scaffold diversity are major characteristic features of natural products providing great potential for therapeutics of neurological and neurodegenerative disorders. Despite of their tremendous potential, less than 20% of medicinal plants have been investigated for their systemic phytochemical and pharmacological activities. Various natural products can be the potential source for new leading molecules by functioning in line of the “one compound multiple targets paradigm”. Integration of chemical- and metabolomic profiling data, together with the bioactivity data of natural products, can open new possibilities for drug discovery and development to combat various neurological disorders.
Modern pharmaceuticals have been developed from small molecules extracted from natural resources. Galantamine, a cholinesterase inhibitor is a classic example of the discovery of small molecules for neuroprotection. This example, among others, demonstrates that natural products may represent an important pool for generating novel therapeutics. Despite of the opportunities they provide, several challenges are also associated with the process of natural product-based drug discovery, such as technical limitations in the isolation, characterization, screening, and optimization.
In this Research Topic, we aim to outline the advancement in the use of various natural products as possible treatments against various neurological and neurodegenerative disorders like Parkinson's disease (PD), Alzheimer's disease (AD), frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD), and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). We also encourage colleagues working in the field of traditional medicine systems to submit their research.
We seek Original Research, Reviews, Mini-Reviews, Hypotheses and Theories, Perspectives, Clinical Trials, Case Reports and Opinion articles that cover, but are not limited to, the following topics:
- Identification of molecular targets for natural products in neuroprotection.
- Integrating bioactivity-guided approaches in understanding the molecular mechanisms of various neurological and neurodegenerative diseases.
- Mechanistic attributes of bioactive natural products against various neurological pathways.
- Preclinical and clinical studies pertaining to natural products and traditional medicine including Ayurveda, TCM and Kampoo etc.
Modern pharmaceuticals have been developed from small molecules extracted from natural resources. Galantamine, a cholinesterase inhibitor is a classic example of the discovery of small molecules for neuroprotection. This example, among others, demonstrates that natural products may represent an important pool for generating novel therapeutics. Despite of the opportunities they provide, several challenges are also associated with the process of natural product-based drug discovery, such as technical limitations in the isolation, characterization, screening, and optimization.
In this Research Topic, we aim to outline the advancement in the use of various natural products as possible treatments against various neurological and neurodegenerative disorders like Parkinson's disease (PD), Alzheimer's disease (AD), frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD), and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). We also encourage colleagues working in the field of traditional medicine systems to submit their research.
We seek Original Research, Reviews, Mini-Reviews, Hypotheses and Theories, Perspectives, Clinical Trials, Case Reports and Opinion articles that cover, but are not limited to, the following topics:
- Identification of molecular targets for natural products in neuroprotection.
- Integrating bioactivity-guided approaches in understanding the molecular mechanisms of various neurological and neurodegenerative diseases.
- Mechanistic attributes of bioactive natural products against various neurological pathways.
- Preclinical and clinical studies pertaining to natural products and traditional medicine including Ayurveda, TCM and Kampoo etc.
Keywords: Bioactivity, metabolomics, molecular targets, natural products, neurodegeneration
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
