Domenico Nuzzo, of Institute of Biomedical Research and Innovation(IRIB-CNR) in Palermo, is Guest Editor of a special issue of MDPI-Antioxidants: Special Issue in Antioxidants: Role of Natural Antioxidants on Neuroprotection and Neuroinflammation
IF 5.014
Dear Colleagues,
Neurological diseases have increased over the last decade and numerous researchers are focused on identifying drugs that can prevent, slow down or treat these diseases. Brain homeostasis is essential for normal central nervous system (CNS) activity, and one of the key factors contributing to CNS impairment is oxidative stress. This type of stress strongly contributes to the degeneration of brain areas and/or accelerates neuronal cell damage. Furthermore, the brain is highly susceptible to oxidative stress due to its high oxygen consumption and lipid rich content and its structures are, therefore, fragile to this insult. Thus, oxidative stress-induced brain damage has a strong potential to negatively influence normal CNS functions. Oxidative stress has historically been considered to be primarily involved in neurodegenerative disorders, such as Alzheimer’s, Huntington’s and Parkinson’s diseases, and its involvement in neuropsychiatric disorders, including anxiety disorders and depression, must be further investigated. Several natural and/or synthetic antioxidants, used alone or in blend, have been proposed to complement and/or assist traditional pharmacological treatment of neurodegenerative disorders. Oxidative stress and its consequences, such as mitochondrial dysfunction, apoptosis, excitotoxicity, and the misfolding of proteins are among the main targets of the bioactive molecules, although the mechanisms by which these compounds exert their beneficial effects are still unclear.
Therefore, authors are invited to present original research articles, review papers, clinical case reports or communications focused on the effects that natural or synthetic antioxidants have at CNS level. It is important to highlight that, if antioxidant sources are used as extracts of recognized antioxidant properties whose whole composition is unknown, the chemical characterization of the compounds, through techniques such as HPLC, MS, LC–MS, HPLC–MS, and NMR, should be included in the article. On the contrary, if the authors use sources already identified, the chemical characterization is not required. Chemical–physical results, biological characterization or clinical aspects of these bioactive molecules are welcome.
Dr. Domenico Nuzzo
Guest Editor
