Food Derived Bioactive Metabolites: Unlocking their Potential Health Benefits and Medical Potential

About this Research Topic

Background

The intricate relationship between medicines and foods spans across various cultures and traditions. In China, for instance, the concept of 'food-medicines' blurs the line between nourishment and therapeutic intervention, while in Indian cultures, medical practices often encompass food preparations. Components isolated from these food-medicines can serve preventative roles, support physiological functions, or act as targeted treatments due to their interaction with specific receptors. Given these overlapping domains, developing a comprehensive understanding of the scientific potential of food-derived metabolites becomes crucial.

Current investigations have delved into the biochemical profiles of diverse botanical sources, including medicinal plants, fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, and legumes. These studies have uncovered a wealth of biologically active compounds such as polyphenols, phytosterols, proteins, amines, and carotenoids. Growing evidence highlights the therapeutic promise of these bioactive compounds, showcasing their ability to modulate biological pathways associated with disease.

The intricate interplay between plant-derived compounds and cellular signaling pathways offers promising therapeutic avenues. By harnessing these interactions through targeted interventions, phytochemicals have the potential to prevent or mitigate various pathological conditions.

Despite the abundant reservoir of active compounds within ethnopharmacology, significant knowledge gaps remain regarding their precise mechanisms of action and optimal formulations. Enhancing our understanding of ethnopharmacological strategies is paramount for developing precise and effective treatments. This Research Topic aims to consolidate global trends, current insights, and knowledge frameworks pertaining to ethnopharmacological interventions and the health benefits of food-derived bioactive metabolites. We invite original research and review articles that explore the therapeutic potential of plant-derived ethnobotanical interventions. Submissions encompassing pre-clinical and clinical studies, as well as reviews elucidating the health and wellness benefits of plants and their compounds, are welcomed. The central theme seeks to deepen our understanding of the contributions of ethnopharmacology and advance the field of plant-based therapies.

Submissions may include, but are not limited to, the following themes:
1. Conventional and innovative extraction techniques for creating novel food-based medicinal products
2. Pharmacological properties of food-derived bioactive metabolites
3. Contributions of food-derived bioactive metabolites in drug discovery
4. Analytical challenges associated with food-derived bioactive metabolites
5. Bioactivity and functional characteristics of food-derived bioactive metabolites
6. Functional foods and dietary supplements as potential new medicinal sources
7. Other related areas within the domain of food-derived bioactive metabolites

Please self-assess your manuscript using the ConPhyMP tool (https://ga-online.org/best-practice/), and follow the standards established in the ConPhyMP statement Front. Pharmacol. 13:953205. All the manuscripts need to fully comply with the Four Pillars of Best Practice in Ethnopharmacology (you can freely download the full version here). Importantly, please ascertain that the ethnopharmacological context is clearly described (pillar 3d) and that the material investigated is characterized in detail (pillars 2 a and b).

In silico studies like network analyses or docking studies are generally not accepted unless they are followed by an in vitro or in vivo analysis of the material under investigation.

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Clinical Trial
• Conceptual Analysis
• Data Report
• Editorial
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• ... View all formats

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Clinical Trial
• Conceptual Analysis
• Data Report
• Editorial
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Policy and Practice Reviews
• Review
• Study Protocol
• Systematic Review
• Technology and Code

Keywords: Bioactive Metabolites, Ethnopharmacology, Functional Foods, Phytochemicals, Nutraceuticals, Polyphenols, Phytosterols, Biogenics, Carotenoids, Preventive Medicine, Cellular Signaling Pathways, Disease Modulation, Plant-Based Therapies, Dietary Supplements

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.

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