Regulation of Autophagy by Natural Compounds and Their Antioxidant Activity

A special issue of Antioxidants (ISSN 2076-3921). This special issue belongs to the section "Natural and Synthetic Antioxidants".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (26 April 2024) | Viewed by 6558

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Institute of Food Sciences, National Research Council (CNR) via Roma 64, 83100 Avellino, Italy
Interests: natural antioxidants; autophagy; apoptosis; cellular biochemistry; signal transduction

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Guest Editor
Department of Molecular Medicine and Medical Biotechnology, University of Naples Federico II, Via Pansini 5, 80131 Naples, Italy
Interests: natural antioxidants; antioxidant enzymes; oxidative stress; thiols
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

grade E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute of Food Sciences, National Research Council (CNR), Via Roma 64, 83100 Avellino, Italy
Interests: phytochemicals; chemoprevention; autophagy; cell cycle; apoptosis

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

A relatively unexplored field of study is the role of fundamental biological processes such as autophagy as a cellular response to a redox imbalance and the role of natural compounds in modulating this response in physiological (aging) and pathological contexts (cancer, cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases).

The interplay between reactive oxygen species (ROS) and natural compounds as autophagy modulators is the focus of different studies based on different cellular models (such as cancer vs. normal cells). Furthermore, although connections between ROS and autophagy are observed under various pathological conditions, the mode of activation of autophagy and the potential protective or cytotoxic functions are not fully understood.

Notably, recent advances in the field of redox regulation of autophagy focus on the role of natural compounds as activators of antioxidant response regulated by the transcription factor NFR2/Keap1 system.

This Special Issue focuses on studies that could “connect the dots” between the effects of natural compounds as inducers of autophagy and ROS imbalance in different cellular contexts to better understand the roles of autophagy in several chronic degenerative diseases and aging and utilize it as a therapeutic target.

Dr. Maria Russo
Prof. Dr. Immacolata Castellano
Dr. Gian Luigi Russo
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • autophagy regulation
  • natural compounds
  • phytochemicals
  • ROS
  • oxidative stress
  • in vitro and vivo studies
  • NRF2/Keap1 system
  • cancer
  • cardiovascular disease
  • neurodegenerative pathologies
  • aging

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

19 pages, 17510 KiB  
Article
The Antioxidant Salidroside Ameliorates the Quality of Postovulatory Aged Oocyte and Embryo Development in Mice
by Kexiong Liu, Luyao Zhang, Xiaoling Xu, Linli Xiao, Junhui Wen, Hanbing Zhang, Shuxin Zhao, Dongliang Qiao, Jiahua Bai and Yan Liu
Antioxidants 2024, 13(2), 248; https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox13020248 - 19 Feb 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1887
Abstract
Postovulatory aging is known to impair the oocyte quality and embryo development due to oxidative stress in many different animal models, which reduces the success rate or pregnancy rate in human assisted reproductive technology (ART) and livestock timed artificial insemination (TAI), respectively. Salidroside [...] Read more.
Postovulatory aging is known to impair the oocyte quality and embryo development due to oxidative stress in many different animal models, which reduces the success rate or pregnancy rate in human assisted reproductive technology (ART) and livestock timed artificial insemination (TAI), respectively. Salidroside (SAL), a phenylpropanoid glycoside, has been shown to exert antioxidant and antitumor effects. This study aimed to investigate whether SAL supplementation could delay the postovulatory oocyte aging process by alleviating oxidative stress. Here, we show that SAL supplementation decreases the malformation rate and recovers mitochondrial dysfunction including mitochondrial distribution, mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨ) and ATP content in aged oocytes. In addition, SAL treatment alleviates postovulatory aging-caused oxidative stress such as higher reactive oxygen species (ROS) level, lower glutathione (GSH) content and a reduced expression of antioxidant-related genes. Moreover, the cytoplasmic calcium ([Ca2+]c) and mitochondrial calcium ([Ca2+]mt) of SAL-treated oocytes return to normal levels. Notably, SAL suppresses the aging-induced DNA damage, early apoptosis and improves spindle assembly in aged oocytes, ultimately elevating the embryo developmental rates and embryo quality. Finally, the RNA-seq and confirmatory experience showed that SAL promotes protective autophagy in aged oocytes by activating the MAPK pathway. Taken together, our research suggests that supplementing SAL is an effective and feasible method for preventing postovulatory aging and preserving the oocyte quality, which potentially contributes to improving the successful rate of ART or TAI. Full article
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21 pages, 6326 KiB  
Article
Antioxidant Potential-Rich Betel Leaves (Piper betle L.) Exert Depigmenting Action by Triggering Autophagy and Downregulating MITF/Tyrosinase In Vitro and In Vivo
by Md Badrul Alam, Na Hyun Park, Bo-Rim Song and Sang-Han Lee
Antioxidants 2023, 12(2), 374; https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox12020374 - 3 Feb 2023
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 3522
Abstract
Each individual has a unique skin tone based on the types and quantities of melanin pigment, and oxidative stress is a key element in melanogenesis regulation. This research sought to understand the in vitro and in vivo antioxidant and depigmenting properties of betel [...] Read more.
Each individual has a unique skin tone based on the types and quantities of melanin pigment, and oxidative stress is a key element in melanogenesis regulation. This research sought to understand the in vitro and in vivo antioxidant and depigmenting properties of betel leaves (Piper betle L.) extract (PBL) and the underlying mechanism. Ethyl acetate fractions of PBL (PBLA) demonstrated excellent phenolic content (342 ± 4.02 mgGAE/g) and strong DPPH, ABTS radicals, and nitric oxide (NO) scavenging activity with an IC50 value of 41.52 ± 1.02 μg/mL, 45.60 ± 0.56 μg/mL, and 51.42 ± 1.25 μg/mL, respectively. Contrarily, ethanolic extract of PBL (PBLE) showed potent mushroom, mice, and human tyrosinase inhibition activity (IC50 = 7.72 ± 0.98 μg/mL, 20.59 ± 0.83 μg/mL and 24.78 ± 0.56 μg/mL, respectively). According to gas chromatography–mass spectrometry, PBL is abundant in caryophyllene, eugenol, O-eugenol, 3-Allyl-6-methoxyphenyl acetate, and chavicol. An in vitro and in vivo investigation showed that PBLE suppressed tyrosinase (Tyr), tyrosinase-related protein-1 and -2 (Trp-1 and Trp-2), and microphthalmia-associated transcription factors (MITF), decreasing the formation of melanin in contrast to the untreated control. PBLE reduced the cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) response to an element-binding protein (CREB) phosphorylation by preventing the synthesis of cAMP. Additionally, it activates c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinases (p38), destroying Tyr and MITF and avoiding melanin production. Higher levels of microtubule-associated protein-light chain 3 (LC3-II), autophagy-related protein 5 (Atg5), Beclin 1, and lower levels of p62 demonstrate that PBLE exhibits significant anti-melanogenic effects via an autophagy-induction mechanism, both in vitro and in vivo. Additionally, PBLE significantly reduced the amount of lipid peroxidation while increasing the activity of several antioxidant enzymes in vivo, such as catalase, glutathione, superoxide dismutase, and thioredoxin. PBLE can therefore be employed in topical formulations as a potent skin-whitening agent. Full article
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