Editorial: Exploration of Natural Product Leads for Multitarget-Based Treatment of Cancer-Computational to Experimental Journey

Current trends in natural products for the treatment and management of dementia: Computational to clinical studies

The number of preclinical and clinical studies evaluating natural products-based management of dementia has gradually increased, with an exponential rise in 2020 and 2021. Keeping this in mind, we examined current trends from 2016 to 2021 in order to assess the growth potential of natural products in the treatment of dementia. Publicly available literature was collected from various databases like PubMed and Google Scholar. Oxidative stress-related targets, NF-κB pathway, anti-tau aggregation, anti-AChE, and A-β aggregation were found to be common targets and pathways. A retrospective analysis of 33 antidementia natural compounds identified 125 sustainable resources distributed among 65 families, 39 orders, and 7 classes. We found that families such as Berberidaceae, Zingiberaceae, and Fabaceae, as well as orders such as Lamiales, Sapindales, and Myrtales, appear to be important and should be researched further for antidementia compounds. Moreover, some natural products, such as quercetin, curcumin, icariside II, berberine, and resveratrol, have a wide range of applications. Clinical studies and patents support the importance of dietary supplements and natural products, which we will also discuss. Finally, we conclude with the broad scope, future challenges, and opportunities for field researchers.

The role of nanomaterials in enhancing natural product translational potential and modulating endoplasmic reticulum stress in the treatment of ovarian cancer

Ovarian cancer, and particularly its most frequent type, epithelial ovarian carcinoma, constitutes one of the most dangerous malignant tumors among females. Substantial evidence has described the potential of phytochemicals against ovarian cancer. The effect of natural compounds on endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress is of great relevance in this regard. In ovarian cancer, the accumulation of misfolded proteins in the ER lumen results in decompensated ER stress. This leads to deregulation in the physiological processes for the posttranslational modification of proteins, jeopardizes cellular homeostasis, and increases apoptotic signaling. Several metabolites and metabolite extracts of phytochemical origin have been studied in the context of ER stress in ovarian cancer. Resveratrol, quercetin, curcumin, fucosterol, cleistopholine, fucoidan, and epicatechin gallate, among others, have shown inhibitory potential against ER stress. The chemical structure of each compound plays an important role concerning its pharmacodynamics, pharmacokinetics, and overall effectiveness. Studying and cross-comparing the chemical features that render different phytochemicals effective in eliciting particular anti-ER stress actions can help improve drug design or develop multipotent combination regimens. Many studies have also investigated the properties of formulations such as nanoparticles, niosomes, liposomes, and intravenous hydrogel based on curcumin and quercetin along with some other phytomolecules in ovarian cancer. Overall, the potential of phytochemicals in targeting genetic mechanisms of ovarian cancer warrants further translational and clinical investigation.