Network Pharmacology and Traditional Medicine

  • 79k

    Total Downloads

  • 293k

    Total Views and Downloads

About this Research Topic

Submission closed

Background


Network pharmacology, which integrates information science and systematic medicine, is evolving as a frontier research field of drug discovery and development. The current merging of omics technologies and bioinformatics provide computational and experimental strategies toward network pharmacology. With a network-based insight, network pharmacology intends to systematically reflect and reveal the biological foundation of complex diseases and drug effects. At the same time, “network target”, a key concept that derived from the multi-targets nature of traditional medicine has been proposed, shifting the current “single target” research paradigm. The network-target-based network pharmacology is a promising strategy for the next generation mode of drug research and development for traditional medicine.

Traditional medicine makes a feature of personalized, holistic and multicomponent therapy, and still plays a key role in modern health care. The systems thinking of traditional medicine have shared much with the core ideas of network pharmacology, which provided important insights for modern drug discovery and may serve as a foundation of future rational drug development against complex diseases. Compared with modern drugs with explicit mechanisms, the challenge for traditional medicine is to understand the molecular mechanism of multicomponent therapies. Moreover, the lack of scientific knowledge of the pharmacological action and the bioactive principle within the multicomponent therapies has already hindered the advance of traditional medicine. Network pharmacology has provided key reference for evidence-based efficacy standards and safety evaluation of traditional medicine.

Recently, there has been growing interest in using artificial intelligence and big omics data to study the “network target” underlying traditional medicine. Hopefully with the current progress in network pharmacology research techniques, more network-based analytical approaches could be assimilated into such a medical field in order to accelerate the comprehension of the nature of traditional medicine and promote the discovery processes of traditional medicine. The potentiality of network pharmacology arouses a future therapeutic strategy that involves integrated treatment of complex disorders through targeting a specific network. The boom in network pharmacology has prompted more clinicians and scientists to devote their attention and efforts in elucidating the possible mechanism of action underlying the traditional therapeutics in recent years.

In this Research Topic, we intend to publish high-quality research papers as well as review articles giving an overview of recent advances pertaining to network pharmacology and traditional medicine. In addition, submissions on the development of novel treatment guided by network pharmacology, including the understanding of the underlying mechanisms of action, the aid in the design of effective integrative clinical trials, the discovery of biologically active compounds, biomarkers for complex diseases and optimizing traditional therapies, are welcomed.


Many thanks to Miss Zheng Jiahui for her role in the coordination and launch of this Research Topic.

Additional note from journal-
Studies with the specific aim to either improve local healthcare by developing products based on such knowledge or studies in the context of drug discovery / development from natural sources will be considered if they are based on biological resources with a clear and well-defined local or traditional use. Purely biodiversity-based screening studies and studies of established natural products and their mechanism of action are outside the scope of this section. Studies reporting such local and traditional uses will only be accepted if the comply with the ConSEFS standards (Heinrich et al. 2017) . Toxicological research and clinical studies on medicinal plants are welcome.

The following basic guidelines, focused on best practice in ethnopharmacology, should be followed by all submissions:

Botanical
- This Specialty Section of Frontiers in Pharmacology subscribes to the taxonomic standards laid down most importantly at the Kew MPNS portal and also the Royal Botanic Gardens/Kew/Missouri Botanical Garden The Plant List initiative ``. Of course, full botanical documentation is essential (i.e. a voucher specimen deposited in a recognized herbarium).

Pharmacological
- Antioxidant activity: here in vivo or in vitro studies using generally acceptable pharmaceutical models are essential. Simple in silico and pharmacologically irrelevant assays for antioxidant activity (e.g. the DPPH assay, FRAP (Ferric Reducing Ability of Plasma), ABTS (2,2'-azinobis-(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid)) are not acceptable as a main tool for assessing an extract or a compound for activity. Such assays are commonly used in food chemistry and other fields, but are not of pharmacological relevance.

- Dose ranges must be pharmacologically relevant. While impossible to define an exact cut-off, studies testing extracts at implausibly high doses are increasingly common in the literature.
- Positive and negative controls must be included.
- Models must be pharmacologically relevant and plausible - a complex issue depending on the specific goals of the study. Authors must consider the ethical acceptability of further in vivo studies on an already well-studied species, demonstrating some common activity (e.g. an anti-inflammatory effect studied in the rat-paw oedema).

Chemical
- The composition of the study material must be described in sufficient detail
- If ‘pure’ compounds are used information on the level of purity must be included

In case of ethnopharmacological field studies you must follow the ConSEFS standards

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.

Frequently asked questions

  • Frontiers' Research Topics are collaborative hubs built around an emerging theme.Defined, managed, and led by renowned researchers, they bring communities together around a shared area of interest to stimulate collaboration and innovation.

    Unlike section journals, which serve established specialty communities, Research Topics are pioneer hubs, responding to the evolving scientific landscape and catering to new communities.

  • The goal of Frontiers' publishing program is to empower research communities to actively steer the course of scientific publishing. Our program was implemented as a three-part unit with fixed field journals, flexible specialty sections, and dynamically emerging Research Topics, connecting communities of different sizes and maturity.

    Research Topics originate from the scientific community. Many of our Research Topics are suggested by existing editorial board members who have identified critical challenges or areas of interest in their field.

  • As an editor, Research Topics will help you build your journal, as well as your community, around emerging, cutting-edge research. As research trailblazers, Research Topics attract high-quality submissions from leading experts all over the world.

    A thriving Research Topic can potentially evolve into a new specialty section if there is sustained interest and a growing community around it.

  • Each Research Topic must be approved by the specialty chief editor, and it falls under the editorial oversight of our editorial boards, supported by our in-house research integrity team. The same standards and rigorous peer review processes apply to articles published as part of a Research Topic as for any other article we publish.

    In 2023, 80% of the Research Topics we published were edited or co-edited by our editorial board members, who are already familiar with their journal's scope, ethos, and publishing model. All other topics are guest edited by leaders in their field, each vetted and formally approved by the specialty chief editor.

  • Publishing your article within a Research Topic with other related articles increases its discoverability and visibility, which can lead to more views, downloads, and citations. Research Topics grow dynamically as more published articles are added, causing frequent revisiting, and further visibility.

    As Research Topics are multidisciplinary, they are cross-listed in several fields and section journals – increasing your reach even more and giving you the chance to expand your network and collaborate with researchers in different fields, all focusing on expanding knowledge around the same important topic.

    Our larger Research Topics are also converted into ebooks and receive social media promotion from our digital marketing team.

  • Frontiers offers multiple article types, but it will depend on the field and section journals in which the Research Topic will be featured. The available article types for a Research Topic will appear in the drop-down menu during the submission process.

    Check available article types here 

  • Yes, we would love to hear your ideas for a topic. Most of our Research Topics are community-led and suggested by researchers in the field. Our in-house editorial team will contact you to talk about your idea and whether you’d like to edit the topic. If you’re an early-stage researcher, we will offer you the opportunity to coordinate your topic, with the support of a senior researcher as the topic editor. 

    Suggest your topic here 

  • A team of guest editors (called topic editors) lead their Research Topic. This editorial team oversees the entire process, from the initial topic proposal to calls for participation, the peer review, and final publications.

    The team may also include topic coordinators, who help the topic editors send calls for participation, liaise with topic editors on abstracts, and support contributing authors. In some cases, they can also be assigned as reviewers.

  • As a topic editor (TE), you will take the lead on all editorial decisions for the Research Topic, starting with defining its scope. This allows you to curate research around a topic that interests you, bring together different perspectives from leading researchers across different fields and shape the future of your field. 

    You will choose your team of co-editors, curate a list of potential authors, send calls for participation and oversee the peer review process, accepting or recommending rejection for each manuscript submitted.

  • As a topic editor, you're supported at every stage by our in-house team. You will be assigned a single point of contact to help you on both editorial and technical matters. Your topic is managed through our user-friendly online platform, and the peer review process is supported by our industry-first AI review assistant (AIRA).

  • If you’re an early-stage researcher, we will offer you the opportunity to coordinate your topic, with the support of a senior researcher as the topic editor. This provides you with valuable editorial experience, improving your ability to critically evaluate research articles and enhancing your understanding of the quality standards and requirements for scientific publishing, as well as the opportunity to discover new research in your field, and expand your professional network.

  • Yes, certificates can be issued on request. We are happy to provide a certificate for your contribution to editing a successful Research Topic.

  • Research Topics thrive on collaboration and their multi-disciplinary approach around emerging, cutting-edge themes, attract leading researchers from all over the world.

  • As a topic editor, you can set the timeline for your Research Topic, and we will work with you at your pace. Typically, Research Topics are online and open for submissions within a few weeks and remain open for participation for 6 – 12 months. Individual articles within a Research Topic are published as soon as they are ready.

    Find out more about our Research Topics

  • Our fee support program ensures that all articles that pass peer review, including those published in Research Topics, can benefit from open access – regardless of the author's field or funding situation.

    Authors and institutions with insufficient funding can apply for a discount on their publishing fees. A fee support application form is available on our website.

  • In line with our mission to promote healthy lives on a healthy planet, we do not provide printed materials. All our articles and ebooks are available under a CC-BY license, so you can share and print copies.

Impact

  • 293kTopic views
  • 203kArticle views
  • 79kArticle downloads
View impact