About this Research Topic

Background

The proportion of people aged over 60 years in the population is increasing worldwide. This global increase in life expectancy is accompanied by the increasing frequency of age-related disorders. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the number of people aged over 60 years was 1 billion in 2019, which will most likely increase to 1.4 billion by 2030 and 2.1 billion by 2050. Age-related disorders are mainly attributed to the deterioration of immune, metabolic, and circulatory functions. The etiology of age-related diseases is complicated, as it involves an interaction between genes and environment, which may make treatment challenging in real-world circumstances.

Treatment of elder people is complex, as the association between disease risk factors and endpoints can change and even reverse with increasing age. Pharmacological interventions are currently the mainstream option for managing age-related diseases although the drugs used can induce many serious adverse effects. Elderly people mostly take multiple drugs simultaneously because of the involvement of multiple chronic conditions, even though they are more vulnerable to drug-induced adverse effects.

Natural products from terrestrial and marine sources may play a pivotal role in maintenance of human health. They can be used for the prevention and/or treatment of most challenging disorders. A recent market analysis revealed that the worldwide market of natural substances is expanding, and this growth may be attributed to the increasing trend of consumer propensity towards preventive care. More than 80% of the world's population is currently relying on use of vegetable products for their primary healthcare.

The current Research Topic is designed to focus on research and review articles highlighting the research updates on herbal medical products and natural products targeting aging and age-related disorders.
Potential topics include but not limited to:
1. chemically characterized botanical extracts and nature derived phytochemicals targeting aging and age-related disorders including metabolic, cardiovascular, neurological, and bone diseases, and cancer.
2. medicinal plants used as diet with anti-aging effects.
3. mechanistic targets of nature-derived phytochemicals and their influence on age-related disorders.
4. Antioxidant and anti-inflammatory natural products intended to extend one's health and lifespan.
5. herbal medical products affecting cellular aging signaling.
6. In vitro, in vivo and clinical studies to identify natural products with health-span and longevity promoting effects.

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). and the and the ConPhyMP statement: Front. Pharmacol. 13:953205.).' A sufficiently detailed description of the botanical material and its chemical composition is essential as outlined in these documents.

Keywords: Natural products, aging, age-related disorders, prevention, mechanistic targets

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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