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Application of Natural Products in Biomedicine and Pharmacotherapy: 2nd Edition

A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Pharmacology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 March 2025 | Viewed by 2324

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Institute of Molecular Biology “Roumen Tsanev”, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, 1113 Sofia, Bulgaria
Interests: epigenetics; chromatin; genotoxicology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue is a continuation of our previous Special Issue on “Application of Natural Products in Biomedicine and Pharmacotherapy”.

Natural products are made from biomolecules, compounds, and extracts from plants or animals, which humans have been using for millennia. Although most natural products possess proven positive effects on human health, the appearance of some unwanted side effects cannot be entirely excluded. Therefore, data from scientific research on natural products and their applications at the molecular, cellular, and organismal levels are extremely useful.

This Special Issue aims to represent high-quality, modern research and the acquired knowledge on the application of natural products.

This Special Issue calls for researchers to contribute reviews and original research reports of their recent work on the topic of the properties of natural products as studied at the molecular, cellular, or organismal level.

Subtopics may include the following:

  • Cellular metabolism of natural products;
  • Genotoxicity and allergenicity of natural products;
  • Epigenetic influence of natural products;
  • Natural products and aging.

Prof. Dr. George Miloshev
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • natural products
  • biomedicine
  • genotoxicity
  • epigenetics
  • aging

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

11 pages, 1836 KiB  
Article
Antibacterial and Antitumor Activities of Synthesized Sarumine Derivatives
by Fangzhou Yang, Bin Jia, Hongli Wen, Xiufang Yang and Yangmin Ma
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2024, 25(22), 12412; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms252212412 - 19 Nov 2024
Viewed by 296
Abstract
Our aim in this study was to explain the biological activity of the latest azafluoranthene. The natural product sarumine (12) and its derivatives (1317) were synthesized and evaluated for their antibacterial and antitumor activities. The synthesis involved [...] Read more.
Our aim in this study was to explain the biological activity of the latest azafluoranthene. The natural product sarumine (12) and its derivatives (1317) were synthesized and evaluated for their antibacterial and antitumor activities. The synthesis involved a simplified reaction pathway based on biaryl-sulfonamide-protected cyclization, and the compounds were characterized and studied using spectroscopic methods (1HNMR and 13CNMR). Most of the compounds demonstrated improved antibacterial activity. Notably, sarumine demonstrated potent activity against S. aureus and B. subtilis, with an MIC of 8 μg/mL, showing comparable inhibitory effects to the positive control. Furthermore, molecular simulation studies indicated that sarumine exhibited significant binding affinity to FabH. The inhibitory effect of Cl was superior to the others on the structure, and the antitumor activity result also suggested that the inhibitory ability in PC-3 displayed by the R1 derivatives of F and Cl substitutions was better than that of MDA-MB-231. These findings suggest that sarumine and its derivatives may represent new and promising candidates for further study. Full article
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18 pages, 7639 KiB  
Article
Therapeutic Effects of Proanthocyanidins on Diabetic Erectile Dysfunction in Rats
by Xiaoyan Zeng, Lanlan Li and Li Tong
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2024, 25(20), 11004; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms252011004 - 13 Oct 2024
Viewed by 843
Abstract
The rising occurrence of erectile dysfunction related to diabetes mellitus (DMED) has led to the creation of new medications. Proanthocyanidins (PROs) is a potential agent for DMED. In this study, the DMED rat model was established using streptozotocin (STZ) and erectile function was [...] Read more.
The rising occurrence of erectile dysfunction related to diabetes mellitus (DMED) has led to the creation of new medications. Proanthocyanidins (PROs) is a potential agent for DMED. In this study, the DMED rat model was established using streptozotocin (STZ) and erectile function was assessed using apomorphine (APO) in rats. Following this, the rats were subjected to oral treatment with PRO. Then, we evaluated the influence of PROs on DMED rats. The findings suggest that PROs significantly enhance erectile function in DMED rats. PROs modulated glucose and lipid metabolism in DMED rats by decreasing blood glucose and lipid levels while increasing liver glycogen and serum insulin levels. Furthermore, PROs enhanced vascular endothelial function in DMED rats by augmenting nitric oxide (NO) levels and reducing the levels of endothelin-1 (ET-1) and lectin-like oxidized low-density lipoprotein receptor-1 (LOX-1). Additionally, PROs have been shown to elevate testosterone (T) levels, mitigate pathological testicular damage, and enhance sperm concentration and survival rates. Finally, the core targets were screened using network pharmacology, followed by validation through molecular docking, enzyme-linked immunoassay (ELISA), and real-time PCR methodologies. Our findings imply that PROs may treat DMED by elevating AKT1 levels while concurrently diminishing CASP3 levels, thereby effectively regulating the PI3K-Akt signaling pathway. Overall, these results support using PROs as a potential candidate for the treatment of DMED. Full article
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17 pages, 4156 KiB  
Article
Effect of Torilis japonica Fruit Extract for Endothelium-Independent Vasorelaxation and Blood Pressure Lowering in Rats
by Junkyu Park, Sujin Shin, Youngmin Kim, Youngmin Bu, Ho-Young Choi and Kyungjin Lee
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2024, 25(15), 8101; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms25158101 - 25 Jul 2024
Viewed by 742
Abstract
Torilis japonica (TJ) fruit, is a herb that is traditionally used for erectile dysfunction (ED). Given the shared mechanisms of ED and hypertension through vascular smooth muscle, we hypothesized that TJ would be effective in vasodilation and blood pressure reduction. This study confirmed [...] Read more.
Torilis japonica (TJ) fruit, is a herb that is traditionally used for erectile dysfunction (ED). Given the shared mechanisms of ED and hypertension through vascular smooth muscle, we hypothesized that TJ would be effective in vasodilation and blood pressure reduction. This study confirmed the authenticity of TJ samples via DNA barcoding and quantified the main active compound, torilin, using HPLC. TJ was extracted with distilled water (TJW) and 50% ethanol (TJE), yielding torilin contents of 0.35 ± 0.01% and 2.84 ± 0.02%, respectively. Ex vivo tests on thoracic aortic rings from Sprague–Dawley rats showed that TJE (3–300 µg/mL) induced endothelium-independent, concentration-dependent vasodilation, unlike TJW. Torilin caused concentration-dependent relaxation with an EC50 of 210 ± 1.07 µM. TJE’s effects were blocked by a voltage-dependent K+ channel blocker and alleviated contractions induced by CaCl2 and angiotensin II. TJE inhibited vascular contraction induced by phenylephrine or KCl via extracellular CaCl2 and enhanced inhibition with nifedipine, indicating involvement of voltage-dependent and receptor-operated Ca2+ channels. Oral administration of TJE (1000 mg/kg) significantly reduced blood pressure in spontaneously hypertensive rats. These findings suggest TJ extract’s potential for hypertension treatment through vasorelaxant mechanisms, though further research is needed to confirm its efficacy and safety. Full article
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