Notwithstanding the availability of numerous pharmacotherapies, noncommunicable diseases, including cardiovascular diseases, are still the main causes of morbidity and mortality in the world. Alterations in cholesterol homeostasis leading to changes in plasma lipid profiles are an important factor contributing to the increased risk of cardiovascular disease complications. Dyslipidemias are a finding associated with several diseases including metabolic syndrome, atherosclerosis, diabetes mellitus, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Dyslipidemias also play a critical role in vascular and neurological complications leading to cerebrovascular disease. Hence, new classes of pharmacological agents capable of reducing the overall risk are necessary. Numerous studies have indicated that some natural products or molecules are capable of modulating lipid homeostasis. However, the plant kingdom remains an under-explored area in terms of finding the exact species useful in preventing and treating disorders presenting with dyslipidemia.
The increasing incidence of obesity, diabetes, consequent cardiovascular diseases, and the severity of associated complications warranties studies of xenobiotics of plant origin with hypolipidemic effects. Many herbs and natural products-based drugs have attracted increasing attention as potential therapeutic strategies for dyslipidemia and related metabolic disorders due to increasing evidence from pre-clinical and clinical studies suggesting their promising potential in regulating lipid metabolism. However, there is still a number of untapped potential herbal remedies and natural products that contain substances that could affect, more purposefully, lipid parameters. The idea of this Research Topic is to show new, hitherto unexplored, plants and products, their application and impact on the lipid regulation as well as potential and space for their further research in dyslipidemias. Also, we aim to enhance the knowledge on the dyslipidemia development and progression to give a basis for new approaches in preventing and treating conditions associated with alterations in plasma lipid profiles.
This Research Topic aims to attract most recent contributions reporting on natural-product-based drugs in the prevention and treatment of disorders presenting with dyslipidemia. We welcome authors to submit Original Research articles, Reviews and Systematic Reviews on the current status, challenges, and prospects of natural products in lipid metabolism and cholesterol homeostasis.
The manuscript should provide pharmacologically meaningful research on the following topics, but not limited to:
• Pre-clinical and clinical studies of natural products-based drugs in management of dyslipidemias
• Novel and well described animal models for dyslipidemias
• Pre-clinical and clinical updates on combined use of natural products and conventional drugs in dyslipidemias
• In vitro assays identifying potential lead compounds
• Prospective and future trends in research into functions and mechanisms of active substances involved responsible for the effects on plasma lipid profile
All submissions should follow the best practice guidelines in ethnopharmacology, as outlined below:
• Studies should contribute to the evidence-based medicine through evaluation of natural products respecting the traditional context, which must be described in the introduction of the manuscript and supported with appropriate bibliographical primary references.
• Positive and negative controls must be included. Models used, and dose ranges must be pharmacologically relevant and plausible.
• Studies reporting on the effects of lifestyle drugs or simple dietary interventions will not be considered.
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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).
