This Research Topic is part of a series. See also Volume I: Apoptosis Induction/Suppression: A Feasible Approach for Natural Products to Treatment of Diseases.

Apoptosis is generally recognized as a form of programmed cell death, which is beneficial for normal cell development, organ growth and tissue homeostasis in multicellular organisms.

In normal conditions, millions of cells would indeed die and proliferate every day in the human body. However, an imbalance between cell death and proliferation can lead to some serious diseases.

Two different case scenarios can be distinguished: 1) uncontrolled cell proliferation and insufficient cell apoptosis would lead to various cancer types and autoimmune diseases (e.g. rheumatoid arthritis, lupus erythematosus, etc.); 2) excessive apoptosis in normal cells, e.g. neural cells or cardiomyocytes, would result in neurodegenerative diseases (Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and Huntington's disease) and ischemia injuries (myocardial infarction, stroke, etc.), respectively.

Natural products from plants, animals, microorganisms and minerals are potentially important resources in the context of drug discovery for various diseases. Importantly, increasing scientific evidence has suggested that apoptosis induction or suppression might be one of the predominant molecular mechanisms whereby natural products could be used to treat diseases, especially cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, stroke, etc.

However, not much is known about the detailed molecular mechanisms underlying apoptosis induction or suppression, including signaling pathways, novel and key pharmacological targets as well as the action of specific active substances extracted from plants, etc. In addition, lots of active natural products based on apoptosis regulation have already received drug regulatory approvals (e.g. taxol, camptothecin and sinomenine) and been used as clinical drugs to treat diseases; furthermore, there are many other natural products in the stages of the clinical investigations.

However, the related advance and update of the current drug development correlated to apoptosis induction or suppression, systematic reviews or meta-analysis of these clinical drugs or candidate drugs in clinical research stage are insufficient.

This Research Topic will provide an academic platform to discuss how natural products can be used to treat several types of diseases via apoptosis induction/suppression. We invite authors to contribute original research and review articles testing the action of natural bioactive products on various diseases through apoptosis regulation (including induction and suppression).

We aim to particularly focus on the recent advances in the curative properties of natural products on cancers, tumors, autoimmune diseases, neurodegenerative diseases and cardiac diseases through apoptosis regulation, and new natural bioactive agents for controlling diseases via regulating apoptosis.

Potential topics will include but won't be limited to the following:

1) Advance in curative properties of natural products on diseases via apoptosis regulation;

2) Advance and update of the current drug development correlated to apoptosis induction or suppression;

3) Novel natural products with curative activities via apoptosis induction, in particular for cancers/tumors, rheumatoid arthritis and lupus erythematosus;

4) Novel natural products with curative activities via apoptosis suppression, in particular for neurodegenerative diseases (Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and Huntington's disease) and ischemia injury (myocardial infarction, stroke);

5) Novel signal molecules for the apoptosis-related signal pathway;

6) Systematic reviews or meta-analysis of the approved natural drugs or candidate natural drugs in the clinical research stage with induction or suppression of apoptosis.

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All the manuscripts submitted to the collection will need to fully comply with the Four Pillars of Best Practice in Ethnopharmacology (you can freely download the full version here).

We would like to drive the attention of the authors especially to Pillar 1 a):
Traditional context - The traditional context must be described in the introduction and supported with bibliographical primary references. This may be based on modern uses of a plant in general healthcare.

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