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Medicine and Food Homologous Plants and Human Health

A special issue of Nutrients (ISSN 2072-6643). This special issue belongs to the section "Phytochemicals and Human Health".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 August 2022) | Viewed by 30787

Special Issue Editors

College of Agriculture and Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
Interests: natural product; fruit; antioxidant; human health; flavonoid
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Nutrition and Bromatology Group, Department of Analytical Chemistry and Food Science, Faculty of Science, University of Vigo, E-32004 Ourense, Spain
Interests: food chemistry; food technology; bioactive compounds; analytical techniques; natural food products; natural cosmetics; emergent technologies; green processes; sustainability; bioinformatics; chemical engineering; synergy; antagonism; natural and synthetic antioxidants; mathematical modeling; biological responses; toxicology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Medicinal and food homologous plants are important sources of natural products with biological diversity. The interaction of these natural products with the human body can help to recover or maintain health and enhance the body's ability to resist health risks. Effective utilization and accurate evaluation of medicine and food homologous plant resources are key to making use of them as health promotion factors.

The aim of this Special Issue is to attract original research articles and review articles focusing on how medicine and food homologous plants react with human health (antioxidant, anticancer, antidiabetes, antiobesity, immunomodulatory). We encourage animal and clinical studies. We also welcome reviews discussing research advances in the health beneficial effect of medicine and food homologous plants.

Potential topics include but are not limited to the following:

1. Medicine and food homologous plant substances in the regulation of anti-inflammatory pathways

2. Regulation of immunological systems of substances from medicine and food homologous plants

3. Antioxidant effect of substances from medicine and food homologous plants

4.  Anticancer effect of substances from medicine and food homologous plants

5. Antidiabetic effect of substances from medicine and food homologous plants

6. Antiobesity effect of substances from medicine and food homologous plants

7. Prevention and treatment of cardiovascular diseases with substances from medicine and food homologous plants

Prof. Dr. Chongde Sun
Prof. Dr. Miguel-Ángel Prieto
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Nutrients is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • medicine and food homologous plant substances
  • natural products
  • bioactivity evaluation
  • anti-inflammatory
  • regulation of immunological systems
  • antioxidant
  • anticancer
  • antidiabetic
  • antiobesity

Published Papers (10 papers)

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Research

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16 pages, 3069 KiB  
Article
Polysaccharides from Hericium erinaceus Fruiting Bodies: Structural Characterization, Immunomodulatory Activity and Mechanism
by Yang Yang, Jihong Li, Qing Hong, Xuehong Zhang, Zhenmin Liu and Tiehua Zhang
Nutrients 2022, 14(18), 3721; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/nu14183721 - 09 Sep 2022
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2060
Abstract
Five fractions from crude Hericium erinaceus polysaccharides (HEPs), including HEP-1, HEP-2, HEP-3, HEP-4 and HEP-5, were obtained through column chromatography with a DEAE Cellulose-52 column and Sephadex G-100 column. The contents of total carbohydrates and uronic acid in HEPs were 53.36% and 32.56%, [...] Read more.
Five fractions from crude Hericium erinaceus polysaccharides (HEPs), including HEP-1, HEP-2, HEP-3, HEP-4 and HEP-5, were obtained through column chromatography with a DEAE Cellulose-52 column and Sephadex G-100 column. The contents of total carbohydrates and uronic acid in HEPs were 53.36% and 32.56%, respectively. HEPs were mainly composed of Fuc, Gal and Glu in a molar ratio of 7.9:68.4:23.7. Its chemical structure was characterized by sugar and methylation analysis, along with 1H and 13C NMR spectroscopy. HEP-1 contains the backbone composed of (1→6)-linked-galactose with branches attached to O-2 of some glucose. The immunological activity assay indicated that HEP-1 significantly promoted the production of nitric oxide, interleukin-6, interleukin-10, interferon-γ and tumor necrosis factor-α and the phosphorylation of signaling molecules. Collectively, these results suggested that HEP-1 could improve immunity via NF-κB, MAPK and PI3K/Akt pathways. Hericium erinaceus polysaccharides might be explored as an immunomodulatory agent for use in dietary supplements. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Medicine and Food Homologous Plants and Human Health)
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17 pages, 3509 KiB  
Article
The Modulatory Effect of Cyclocarya paliurus Flavonoids on Intestinal Microbiota and Hypothalamus Clock Genes in a Circadian Rhythm Disorder Mouse Model
by Ying Sun, Chi-Tang Ho, Yanan Liu, Shennan Zhan, Zufang Wu, Xiaojie Zheng and Xin Zhang
Nutrients 2022, 14(11), 2308; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/nu14112308 - 31 May 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2396
Abstract
Circadian rhythm disruption is detrimental and results in adverse health consequences. We used a multi-omics profiling approach to investigate the effects of Cyclocarya paliurus flavonoid (CPF)-enriched diets on gut microbiota, metabolites, and hypothalamus clock genes in mice with induced circadian rhythm disruption. It [...] Read more.
Circadian rhythm disruption is detrimental and results in adverse health consequences. We used a multi-omics profiling approach to investigate the effects of Cyclocarya paliurus flavonoid (CPF)-enriched diets on gut microbiota, metabolites, and hypothalamus clock genes in mice with induced circadian rhythm disruption. It was observed that CPF supplementation altered the specific composition and function of gut microbiota and metabolites induced by circadian rhythm disruption. Analysis showed that the abundance of Akkermansia increased, while the abundance of Clostridiales and Ruminiclostridium displayed a significant downward trend after the CPF intervention. Correlation analysis also revealed that these gut microbes had certain correlations with the metabolites, suggesting that CPFs help the intestinal microbiota to repair the intestinal environment and modulate the release of some beneficial metabolites. Notably, single-cell RNA-seq revealed that CPF supplementation significantly regulated the expression of genes associated with circadian rhythm, myelination, and neurodegenerative diseases. Altogether, these findings highlight that CPFs may represent a promising dietary therapeutic strategy for treating circadian rhythm disruption. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Medicine and Food Homologous Plants and Human Health)
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11 pages, 15137 KiB  
Article
Coreopsis tinctoria and Its Flavonoids Ameliorate Hyperglycemia in Obese Mice Induced by High-Fat Diet
by Feng Zhang, Minglan Yang, Jia Xu, Yanzhou Hu, Ruxin Gao, Kunlun Huang and Xiaoyun He
Nutrients 2022, 14(6), 1160; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/nu14061160 - 09 Mar 2022
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2292
Abstract
With the prevalence of obesity all over the world, human health has been seriously affected. In particular, the number of diabetic and cardiovascular diseases has increased dramatically. The herb Coreopsis tinctoria (C. tinctoria) shows diverse biological and pharmacological activities, which are [...] Read more.
With the prevalence of obesity all over the world, human health has been seriously affected. In particular, the number of diabetic and cardiovascular diseases has increased dramatically. The herb Coreopsis tinctoria (C. tinctoria) shows diverse biological and pharmacological activities, which are mainly attributed to its flavonoids. However, the specific functional substances that play an active role in C. tinctoria remain unclear, and its mechanism has not been deeply explored. In this study, we established a diet-induced obesity (DIO) mice model and treated mice with C. tinctoria or kaempferol for 8 weeks. The results showed that both C. tinctoria and kaempferol lowered body weight, reduced fasting blood glucose, and improved glucose tolerance and insulin resistance to alleviate obesity in DIO mice. The level of hemoglobin A1c also decreased significantly after treatment with C. tinctoria and kaempferol. Moreover, the administration of C. tinctoria and kaempferol also restored gut microbiota imbalance and significantly increased Desulfovibrio and Butyricimonas levels, which have been reported to improve glucose metabolism and intestinal health. In general, our study shows that C. tinctoria is a potential hypoglycemic substance for obesity and may reduce blood glucose by regulating gut microbiota, and that kaempferol is one of the effective substances of C. tinctoria. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Medicine and Food Homologous Plants and Human Health)
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19 pages, 4477 KiB  
Article
Mechanism of Astragalus membranaceus Alleviating Acquired Hyperlipidemia Induced by High-Fat Diet through Regulating Lipid Metabolism
by Ling Wang, Wenya Zheng, Jinxin Yang, Anwar Ali and Hong Qin
Nutrients 2022, 14(5), 954; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/nu14050954 - 23 Feb 2022
Cited by 18 | Viewed by 3578
Abstract
Astragalus membranaceus (AM) is a food and medicinal homologous plant. The current research is aimed to investigate the beneficial effects and mechanisms of AM in treating acquired hyperlipidemia. The network pharmacology and bioinformatics analysis results showed 481 AM-related targets and 474 acquired hyperlipidemia-associated [...] Read more.
Astragalus membranaceus (AM) is a food and medicinal homologous plant. The current research is aimed to investigate the beneficial effects and mechanisms of AM in treating acquired hyperlipidemia. The network pharmacology and bioinformatics analysis results showed 481 AM-related targets and 474 acquired hyperlipidemia-associated targets, and 101 candidate targets were obtained through the intersection, mainly enriched in endocrine resistance, AGE-RAGE in diabetic complications and p53 signaling pathways. Quercetin, kaempferol, calycosin, formononetin and isorhamnetin were determined as the candidate active components of AM in the treatment of acquired hyperlipidemia. Moreover, key targets of AM, namely, AKT serine/threonine kinase 1 (AKT1), vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGFA), cyclin D1 (CCND1) and estrogen receptor 1 (ESR1), were screened out, which were closely related to adipogenesis, fatty acid metabolism and bile acid metabolism. The subsequent animal experiments showed that AM extract treatment improved the lipid profiles of the high-fat diet (HFD)-fed mice by reducing lipogenesis and increasing lipolysis and lipid β-oxidation, which were associated with the downregulating of AKT1 and CCND1, and the upregulating of VEGFA and ESR1 in liver and adipose tissue. Overall, AM alleviated acquired hyperlipidemia through regulating lipid metabolism, and AKT1, VEGFA, CCND1 and ESR1 might be the key targets. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Medicine and Food Homologous Plants and Human Health)
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18 pages, 1480 KiB  
Article
The Composition and Anti-Aging Activities of Polyphenol Extract from Phyllanthus emblica L. Fruit
by Min Wu, Jianhang Cai, Zhengfeng Fang, Shanshan Li, Zhiqing Huang, Zizhong Tang, Qingying Luo and Hong Chen
Nutrients 2022, 14(4), 857; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/nu14040857 - 18 Feb 2022
Cited by 29 | Viewed by 4444
Abstract
Phyllanthus emblica L. (PE) is commonly known as a medicine and food homologous plant, which is abundant in natural products polyphenols. In the present study, polyphenols were extracted from PE fruit by response surface method, and the anti-aging ability was determined. PE fruit [...] Read more.
Phyllanthus emblica L. (PE) is commonly known as a medicine and food homologous plant, which is abundant in natural products polyphenols. In the present study, polyphenols were extracted from PE fruit by response surface method, and the anti-aging ability was determined. PE fruit polyphenols exhibited strong antioxidant capacities in scavenging free radicals, and anti-cholinesterase ability by inhibition of AChE (IC50 0.2186 ± 0.0416 mg/mL) and BuChE (IC50 0.0542 ± 0.0054 mg/mL) in vitro. Moreover, PE fruit polyphenols showed strong protective effect against the aging process in Caenorhabditis elegans model, including increased thermal resistance, extended lifespan by 18.53% (p < 0.05), reduced activity of AChE by 34.71% and BuChE by 45.38% (p < 0.01). This was accompanied by the enhancement in antioxidant enzymes activity of SOD by 30.74% (p < 0.05) and CAT by 8.42% (p > 0.05), while decrease in MDA level by 36.25% (p < 0.05). These properties might be interrelated with the presence of abundant flavonols and phenolic acids identified by UPLC-ESI-QTOF-MS, such as quercetin, myricetin, ellagic, gallic, and chlorogenic acids, together with their glycosides. The remarkable antioxidant and anti-aging potential of PE fruit polyphenols could be implemented in the food and pharmaceutical industry. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Medicine and Food Homologous Plants and Human Health)
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15 pages, 2676 KiB  
Article
Dietary Flavone Baicalein Combinate with Genipin Attenuates Inflammation Stimulated by Lipopolysaccharide in RAW264.7 Cells or Pseudomonas aeruginosa in Mice via Regulating the Expression and Phosphorylation of AKT
by Man Zhang, Lili Ye, Chuanjing Cheng, Fukui Shen, Lin Niu, Yuanyuan Hou and Gang Bai
Nutrients 2021, 13(12), 4462; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/nu13124462 - 14 Dec 2021
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2438
Abstract
Mounting evidence has shown that single-targeted therapy might be inadequate to achieve satisfactory effects. Thus, drug combinations are gaining attention as they can regulate multiple targets to obtain more beneficial effects. Heat shock protein 90 (HSP90) is a molecular chaperone that assists the [...] Read more.
Mounting evidence has shown that single-targeted therapy might be inadequate to achieve satisfactory effects. Thus, drug combinations are gaining attention as they can regulate multiple targets to obtain more beneficial effects. Heat shock protein 90 (HSP90) is a molecular chaperone that assists the protein assembly and folding of client proteins and maintains their stability. Interfering with the interaction between HSP90 and its client proteins by inhibiting the latter’s activity may offer a new approach toward combination therapy. The HSP90 client protein AKT plays an important role in the inflammatory response syndrome caused by infections. In this study, the dietary flavone baicalein was identified as a novel inhibitor of HSP90 that targeted the N-terminal ATP binding pocket of HSP90 and hindered the chaperone cycle, resulting in AKT degradation. Combining baicalein with genipin, which was extracted from Gardenia jasminoides, could inhibit the pleckstrin homology domain of AKT, significantly increasing the anti-inflammatory effects both in vitro and in vivo. This synergistic effect was attributed to the reduction in AKT expression and phosphorylation. Thus, elucidating the mechanism underlying this effect will provide a new avenue for the clinical application and development of synergistic anti-inflammatory drugs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Medicine and Food Homologous Plants and Human Health)
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11 pages, 2142 KiB  
Article
Simultaneous Tests of Theaflavin-3,3′-digallate as an Anti-Diabetic Drug in Human Hepatoma G2 Cells and Zebrafish (Danio rerio)
by Hui Zhou, Yuanyuan Wu, Eunhye Kim, Haibo Pan, Puming He, Bo Li, Yi Charlie Chen and Youying Tu
Nutrients 2021, 13(12), 4379; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/nu13124379 - 07 Dec 2021
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2948
Abstract
Theaflavin-3,3′-digallate (TF3) is the most important theaflavin monomer in black tea. TF3 was proved to reduce blood glucose level in mice and rats. However, the elaborate anti-diabetic mechanism was not well elucidated. In this work, human hepatoma G2 (HepG2) cells and zebrafish ( [...] Read more.
Theaflavin-3,3′-digallate (TF3) is the most important theaflavin monomer in black tea. TF3 was proved to reduce blood glucose level in mice and rats. However, the elaborate anti-diabetic mechanism was not well elucidated. In this work, human hepatoma G2 (HepG2) cells and zebrafish (Danio rerio) were used simultaneously to reveal anti-diabetic effect of TF3. The results showed that TF3 could effectively rise glucose absorption capacity in insulin-resistant HepG2 cells and regulate glucose level in diabetic zebrafish. The hypoglycemic effect was mediated through down-regulating phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase and up-regulating glucokinase. More importantly, TF3 could significantly improve β cells regeneration in diabetic zebrafish at low concentrations (5 μg/mL and 10 μg/mL), which meant TF3 had a strong anti-diabetic effect. Obviously, this work provided the potential benefit of TF3 on hypoglycemic effect, regulating glucose metabolism enzymes, and protecting β cells. TF3 might be a promising agent for combating diabetes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Medicine and Food Homologous Plants and Human Health)
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Review

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23 pages, 4989 KiB  
Review
Natural Products for Liver Cancer Treatment: From Traditional Medicine to Modern Drug Discovery
by Da Bin Kim, Do Kyeong Lee, Chunhoo Cheon, Rosy Iara Maciel A. Ribeiro and Bonglee Kim
Nutrients 2022, 14(20), 4252; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/nu14204252 - 12 Oct 2022
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2508
Abstract
Primary liver cancer was the seventh most diagnosed cancer and the second leading cause of cancer death with about 906,000 cases and 830,000 deaths, respectively, in 2020. Conventional treatment for liver cancer, such as transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) or sorafenib, has limitations in that [...] Read more.
Primary liver cancer was the seventh most diagnosed cancer and the second leading cause of cancer death with about 906,000 cases and 830,000 deaths, respectively, in 2020. Conventional treatment for liver cancer, such as transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) or sorafenib, has limitations in that there is the recurrence of cancer, drug inefficacy, and adverse effects. Traditional medicine and natural products of several regions including Korea, China, Europe, North America, India, and the Middle East have attracted a lot of attention since they have been reported to have anticancer effects with low adverse effects. In this review, several in vivo studies on the effects of natural compounds on liver cancer and clinical trials approving their therapeutic benefits were selected and discussed. As a result of the analysis of these studies, the effects of natural compounds were classified into a few mechanisms: apoptosis, anti-metastasis, and antiangiogenesis. In addition, medications including natural products in clinical trials were observed to exhibit improvements in various liver cancer symptoms and patients’ survival rates. This study presents findings suggestive of the anticancer potential of natural products and their properties in relieving related symptoms. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Medicine and Food Homologous Plants and Human Health)
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23 pages, 1577 KiB  
Review
Scrutinizing the Nutritional Aspects of Asian Mushrooms, Its Commercialization and Scope for Value-Added Products
by Judy Gopal, Iyyakkannu Sivanesan, Manikandan Muthu and Jae-Wook Oh
Nutrients 2022, 14(18), 3700; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/nu14183700 - 07 Sep 2022
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2372
Abstract
Mushrooms are the gifts of the non-green revolution; they are not limited by land demand or specific growth requirements. Nearly 14,000 species of mushrooms are on record thus far; of these, only 2200 species are deemed edible. Only 650 species from this list [...] Read more.
Mushrooms are the gifts of the non-green revolution; they are not limited by land demand or specific growth requirements. Nearly 14,000 species of mushrooms are on record thus far; of these, only 2200 species are deemed edible. Only 650 species from this list have been cultivated and consumed. Farmed on waste, mushrooms are rich reservoirs of proteins, polysaccharides, metabolites, minerals and vitamins. In the following review, various edible mushrooms have been listed and their nutritional aspects and their associated contributions have been discussed. Furthermore, the commercial mushroom-based products that are on the market have been surveyed. The challenges facing the use of mushroom and mushroom products as foods, functional foods and nutraceuticals have been presented. The need to seek options to troubleshoot the current limitations has also been discussed. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Medicine and Food Homologous Plants and Human Health)
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15 pages, 1466 KiB  
Review
A Natural Plant Source-Tea Polyphenols, a Potential Drug for Improving Immunity and Combating Virus
by Mengyu Hong, Lu Cheng, Yanan Liu, Zufang Wu, Peng Zhang and Xin Zhang
Nutrients 2022, 14(3), 550; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/nu14030550 - 27 Jan 2022
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 3243
Abstract
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is still in a global epidemic, which has profoundly affected people’s lives. Tea polyphenols (TP) has been reported to enhance the immunity of the body to COVID-19 and other viral infectious diseases. The inhibitory effect of TP on [...] Read more.
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is still in a global epidemic, which has profoundly affected people’s lives. Tea polyphenols (TP) has been reported to enhance the immunity of the body to COVID-19 and other viral infectious diseases. The inhibitory effect of TP on COVID-19 may be achieved through a series of mechanisms, including the inhibition of multiple viral targets, the blocking of cellular receptors, and the activation of transcription factors. Emerging evidence shows gastrointestinal tract is closely related to respiratory tract, therefore, the relationship between the state of the gut–lung axis microflora and immune homeostasis of the host needs further research. This article summarized that TP can improve the disorder of flora, reduce the occurrence of cytokine storm, improve immunity, and prevent COVID-19 infection. TP may be regarded as a potential and valuable source for the design of new antiviral drugs with high efficiency and low toxicity. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Medicine and Food Homologous Plants and Human Health)
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