Emerging Therapeutic Potential of Plant-Derived Compounds in Neuroinflammatory Diseases

Neuroinflammatory diseases, encompassing a spectrum of chronic and debilitating conditions like multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer’s, and Parkinson’s, continue to pose significant challenges in the medical field. Conventional treatments offer limited efficacy and often come with adverse effects, prompting the exploration of alternative therapeutic approaches. In recent years, research has intensified in the domain of natural compounds, revealing their immense potential in mitigating neuroinflammatory pathogenesis and symptomatology. Inflammation and oxidative stress play pivotal roles in the development and progression of neuroinflammation, and lead to neurodegenerative changes typical in these diseases; in this line, several natural compounds have demonstrated anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects that would counteract neuroinflammation. Additionally, some of them have also been shown to be either neuroprotective or neuro-regenerative, which would possibly prevent further neurodegeneration or even improve the already present damage. Given all this evidence, the importance of natural compounds in neuroinflammation cannot be overstated. Their diverse therapeutic effects make them valuable candidates for further investigation and integration into the therapeutic arsenal against neuroinflammatory diseases. Thus, continued research in this area holds promise to improve patient outcomes and to get a better understanding of these complex conditions.

In contemporary society, there is a notable surge in lifestyle-associated illnesses. These conditions are characterized by the disruption of homeostasis in the antioxidant and immune systems, two key systems involved in triggering neuroinflammatory diseases.
Although numerous drugs are employed in the management of neurological conditions, they are often ineffective for certain patients and can cause unwanted side effects. This results in a substantial gap in current therapy, demanding the identification of safer and more efficient treatments.

Plant-derived compounds can alter or regulate both immune and antioxidant mechanisms and they may be promising candidates for the generation of functional foods or nutraceuticals to promote health. Therefore, understanding their mechanisms of action, validating their efficacy and safety, and integrating them into clinical practice is mandatory.

In this context, in vitro assays with primary cells or cell lines are the first line of tools to discover if plant-derived compounds can have a positive health effect. The use of experimental animal models also is necessary to corroborate the beneficial effect of these compounds in vivo. And, finally, a clinical intervention with these is mandatory to demonstrate their safety and efficacy. Thus, this research special aims to cover pre-clinical and clinical studies on the effects of plant-derived compounds in neuroinflammation.

This topic welcomes the submission of original or review articles that can improve the knowledge about the possible effects of plant-derived compounds on neuroinflammatory diseases, including, but not limited to, multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer's disease, or Parkinson’s disease.
For this Research Topic, we, therefore, welcome submissions on the following topics: the link between plant-derived products with brain stroke, Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases, multiple sclerosis, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and neurodegeneration, among others.