Editorial: Natural products as drivers in drug development for neurodegenerative disorders, volume II

Abstract

Editorial on the Research Topic Natural products as drivers in drug development for neurodegenerative disorders, volume IIThe increasing prevalence of neurodegenerative disorders (NDs) poses a huge challenge to public health, partly due to extensions in average life expectancy but also to the need for preventive diagnostics and effective disease-modifying treatments (Logroscino et al., 2022). As per the World Health Organization (WHO), this upward trend is expected to persist into the 21st century. By 2050, it is projected that the elderly population (aged >60 years) will surpass the number of young individuals (aged <15 years). Furthermore, the WHO anticipates that in the near future, neurodegenerative disorders will surpass cancer as the second most common cause of death, with cardiovascular diseases retaining their position as the most common cause (Silva et al., 2023). Neurodegenerative disorders, such as Alzheimer's Disease (AD), Parkinson's Disease (PD), Multiple Sclerosis (MS), and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), encompass a diverse group of chronic pathological conditions characterized by the gradual loss of the structure and functions of the central nervous system or peripheral nervous system (Rehman et al., 2023). Several biological events, including abnormal protein dynamics, oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, impaired bioenergetics, dysfunction of neurotrophins, and neuroinflammation, have been related to ND development (Jellinger, 2010;Rehman et al., 2023). Despite significant progress in our understanding of the pathogenesis of NDs, most of the medicines available on the market are not effective and primarily serve to relieve symptoms (Lamptey et al., 2022). Advances in the knowledge about the etiology of NDs and the development of innovative therapeutic agents for their treatment are crucial.Nature has played a crucial role over the centuries as a source of therapeutic options for application in a wide range of pathologies, inspiring the development of new drugs for emerging threats to human health and reducing disease spread and mortality (Dzobo, 2022). Diverse bioactive compounds with complex structures, novel pharmacological properties,