Due to increasing concern about the use of pesticides and its potential side effects, this book considers the development and application of alternative, environmental-friendly, plant protection methods for the control of weeds, disease, and pests (predators, parasitoids, competitors, plant-plant interactions, microelements, biopesticides). Some of the main advantages of the measures presented in papers are the absence of toxicity to humans and vertebrates, beneficial organisms, and the environment, as well as the absence of pest resistance. In order to provide sustainable and eco-friendly food production, those are important subjects, both in conventional, organic and integrated agricultural farming. Through reviews and original research articles, this reprint covers all aspects of alternative measures in plant protection.

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“Antioxidant Activity of Polyphenolic Plant Extracts” is a collection of scientific articles regarding polyphenols, that is, substances occurring naturally in plants and exhibiting many beneficial effects on human health. Among polyphenols’ interesting biological properties, their antioxidant activity is considered the most important. This book brings together experts from different research fields on topics related to polyphenols, such as their isolation and purification, assessment of their antioxidant activity, prevention from oxidative stress-induced diseases and use as food additives. The polyphenols used in the present studies are derived from a great variety of plants, ranging from well-known species to rare ones that are only found in specific regions. Moreover, some of the studies provide evidence that polyphenols may be used for the prevention and treatment of common diseases such as diabetes mellitus, Alzheimers’ disease, cardiovascular and intestinal diseases. Importantly, in several of the studies “green extraction methods” for the isolation of polyphenols were developed using modern technologies, where few or no organic solvents were used, in order to minimize environmental and health impacts.

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This Special Issue comprises articles related to the effects of genotype and processing conditions on the phenolic compound profile and antioxidant activity of cocoa-derived products, isolation and characterization of antioxidant compounds such as polyphenols and melanoidins from cocoa beans, and assessment of the antioxidant, antioxidative stress and anti-inflammatory effects of cocoa beans and cocoa-derived products. The results of these studies show that it is possible to maintain or increase the biological activity of cocoa beans and their derived products (cocoa powder and chocolate) by choosing appropriate processing conditions and cocoa genotype and origin. The papers published in this Special Issue confirm that cocoa beans and cocoa by-products can be considered as an attractive source material for manufacturing of functional foods and nutraceuticals. This is because they contain many bioactive compounds, mainly polyphenols, including flavonoids (proanthocyaninidins, monomeric flavan-3-ols, and anthocyanins) and phenolic acids, as well as melanoidins. Finally, the in vitro and in vivo studies demonstrate the importance of cocoa antioxidants for the prevention of oxidative stress and inflammation.

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Biocatalysis is very appealing to the industry because it allows, in principle, the synthesis of products not accessible by chemical synthesis. Enzymes are very effective, as are precise biocatalysts, as they are enantioselective, with mild reaction conditions and green chemistry. Biocatalysis is currently widely used in the pharmaceutical industry, food industry, cosmetic industry, and textile industry. This includes enzyme production, biocatalytic process development, biotransformation, enzyme engineering, immobilization, the synthesis of fine chemicals and the recycling of biocatalysts. One of the most challenging problems in biocatalysis applications is process optimization. This Special Issue shows that an optimized biocatalysis process can provide an environmentally friendly, clean, highly efficient, low cost, and renewable process for the synthesis and production of valuable products. With further development and improvements, more biocatalysis processes may be applied in the future.

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Phytotherapy is probably the oldest form of medicine; however, it represents a new therapeutic tool for healthcare workers. Indeed plants are an infinite source of novel molecules, with countless possible combinations. This collection of articles (a Special Issue from Molecules) brings together the most up-to-date studies on the use of plant-derived compounds, ranging from their anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and anticancer effects to the revision of the prominent literature.

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Neurogenerative diseases encompass very different pathologies, which can be demyelinating or nondemyelinating, but which have common mechanisms such as cell death, oxidative stress and inflammation. A better understanding of these mechanisms allows the search for biomarkers and targets for new therapies. This special issue brings together different data on Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and multiple sclerosis, detailing the mechanisms of cell death (necroptosis, ferroptosis), oxidative stress and inflammation but also the possibilities of neuroprotection via 5 research articles and 6 review articles. The different reviews allow us to take stock of cell death, oxidative stress and neuroinflammation in the context of neurodegenerative diseases but also in relation to other pathologies where these processes are involved.

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As editors of this book our aim was to collect new data from experienced authors in order to further advance the knowledge on the protective effects of polyphenols’ intake, e.g., when included in the human diet, to modulate cellular functions and pathways associated with neurodegenerative diseases.Fruits and vegetables are the richest source of polyphenols in the regular human diet. Most of these molecules possess high antioxidant capacity, as well as several other important activities that can affect human health, among which anti-inflammatory properties and the potential ability to modulate different cell-signalling pathways seem to be the most important. Neurodegenerative diseases are among the main causes of death worldwide and, in most of them like Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s, neurodegeneration occurs long before the onset of first symptoms, where a large population of brain neurons are already lost. Besides neurons, glial cells like astrocytes and microglia, are involved in oxidative and neuroinflammatory pathological pathways, making them interesting targets for neuroprotective strategies. Polyphenols are promising candidates for those strategies, either as prophylactic substances or as therapeutic molecules.In this book, several research papers and two reviews explore the chemical properties of naturally occurring polyphenols and some new possibilities for the therapeutical and/or prophylactic roles of these molecules on neurodegeneration and neurodegenerative diseases.

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The book entitled Medicinal Plants and Natural Product Research describes various aspects of ethnopharmacological uses of medicinal plants; extraction, isolation, and identification of bioactive compounds from medicinal plants; various aspects of biological activity such as antioxidant, antimicrobial, anticancer, immunomodulatory activity, etc., as well as characterization of plant secondary metabolites as active substances from medicinal plants.

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Neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, Huntington’s, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, are the most common pathologies of the central nervous system currently without a cure. They share common molecular and cellular characteristics, including protein misfolding, mitochondrial dysfunction, glutamate toxicity, dysregulation of calcium homeostasis, oxidative stress, inflammation, and ageing, which contribute to neuronal death. Efforts to treat these diseases are often limited by their multifactorial etiology. Natural products, thanks to their multitarget activities, are considered promising alternatives for the treatment of neurodegeneration. This book deals with two different forms of natural products: extracts and isolated compounds. The study of the bioactivity of the extracts is extremely important as many studies have demonstrated the synergistic effect of the combination of different natural products. On the other hand, the investigation of the activity of specifically isolated natural products can be also important to understand their cellular and molecular mechanisms and to define the specific bioactive components in extracts or foods. This book can be considered an important contribution to knowledge of the neuroprotective effect of natural products and presents a great deal of information, related to both the benefits but also the limitations of their use in counteracting neurodegeneration.

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The papers included in this Special Issue address a variety of important aspects of plant biodiversity and genetic resources, including definitions, descriptions, and illustrations of different components and their value for food and nutrition security, breeding, and environmental services. Furthermore, comprehensive information is provided regarding conservation approaches and techniques for plant genetic resources, policy aspects, and results of biological, genetic, morphological, economic, social, and breeding-related research activities. The complexity and vulnerability of (plant) biodiversity and its inherent genetic resources, as an integral part of the contextual ecosystem and the human web of life, are clearly demonstrated in this Special Issue, and for several encountered problems and constraints, possible approaches or solutions are presented to overcome these.

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Plants have served mankind as an important source of foods and medicines. While we all consume plants and their products for nutritional support, a majority of the world population also rely on botanical remedies to meet their health needs, either as their own “traditional medicine” or as “complementary and alternative medicine”. From a pharmaceutical point of view, many compounds obtained from plant sources have long been known to possess bio/pharmacological activities, and historically, plants have yielded many important drugs for human use, from morphine discovered in the early nineteenth century to the more recent paclitaxel and artemisinin. Today, we are witnessing a global resurgence in interest and use of plant-based therapies and botanical products, and natural products remain an important and viable source of lead compounds in many drug discovery programs.This Special Issue on “Plant Natural Products for Human Health” compiles a series of scientific reports to demonstrate the medicinal potentials of plant natural products. It covers a range of disease targets, such as diabetes, inflammation, cancer, neurological disease, cardiovascular disease, liver damage, bacterial, and fungus infection and malarial. These papers provide important insights into the current state of research on drug discovery and new techniques. It is hoped that this Special Issue will serve as a timely reference for researchers and scholars who are interested in the discovery of potentially useful molecules from plant sources for health-related applications.

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Herein we describe some molecular aspects of the recent anti-COVID-19 research, including some approaches making use of natural remedies, especially from medicinal plants, in silico methods, and different experimental procedures that led to the discovery of novel targets of SARS-CoV-2 and consequently novel potential COVID-19 therapeutics. COVID-19 vaccines also find mention in this book with also a description of some adverse effects reported in some cases. Considering that the different beta coronaviruses present certain conserved biomolecular mechanisms and, thus, some common therapeutic targets, finding effective therapies for a specific member of their family (such as SARS-CoV, SARS-CoV-2, and MERS-CoV) even in a scenario of a reduced impact at the time of the related disease on humankind is still relevant as it could offer or inspire efficacious therapeutic strategies not only in the context of novel pathogenic mutations of the already known beta coronaviruses, but also when future zoonoses caused by other beta coronaviruses will emergence, which is not unlikely to occur in the current world where the interactions between humans and wildlife are made more and more frequent due to the growing loss of intact ecosystems worldwide.

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The purpose of this reprint is to present current research on the use of plant tissue cultures to produce specialized metabolites or secondary metabolites in plants. Numerous review articles on the use of instrument engineering, data modeling, and metabolic regulation in the synthesis of industrially significant plant secondary metabolites are included in this Special Issue. Research has covered contemporary methodologies like elicitation and the use of different bioreactors for biomass and metabolite syntheses. The research article addresses the production of specific metabolites employing cells, adventitious roots, and shoot cultures. Experts in the field provide their perspectives on research findings and future directions in this reprint. For those working in the fields of plant biotechnology, food, pharmaceuticals, and nutraceutical science, as well as for those working in academics, industry, and policymaking and students, the review and research papers will be helpful.

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Overcoming biological barriers is a significant challenge in drug development, and recent advancements in drug delivery systems and technologies offer promising solutions. This Special Issue highlights the innovative approaches and techniques being used to improve drug permeability and absorption, as well as their potential impact on a wide range of therapeutic goals. These advancements being made in drug delivery and permeability offer exciting possibilities to improve patient outcomes.

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Tea, made from the leaves of the Camellia senenisis plant, is the second most consumed beverage worldwide after water. Accumulating evidence from cellular, animal, epidemiological and clinical studies have linked tea consumption to various health benefits, such as chemoprevention of cancers, chronic inflammation, heart and liver diseases, diabetes, neurodegenerative diseases, etc. Although such health benefits have not been consistently observed in some intervention trials, positive results from clinical trials have provided direct evidence supporting the cancer-protective effect of green tea. In addition, numerous mechanisms of action have been suggested to contribute to tea’s disease-preventive effects. Furthermore, effects of the processing and storage of tea, as well as additives on tea’s properties have been investigated.

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