Advancements in Natural Product-Derived Anti-Inflammatory Therapies

Natural products [i.e. plant and fungal extracts and metabolites] have long served as pivotal resources in the discovery and development of novel anti-inflammatory agents. These complex molecules, harnessed from ethnopharmacological traditions and refined by contemporary science, underpin countless conventional and complementary therapies worldwide. Chronic inflammation forms the pathological basis of many major diseases, including autoimmune disorders, metabolic syndrome, and neurodegenerative ailments. Despite advances in synthetic pharmaceuticals, natural products offer vast chemical diversity, unique mechanisms of action, and the potential for multi-target modulation of inflammatory pathways—features often unattainable through purely synthetic means. Understanding how natural products interact at the molecular, cellular, and systemic levels is crucial for translating traditional knowledge into effective, modern anti-inflammatory therapies.While the anti-inflammatory potential of natural products is widely recognized, there remain significant challenges in deciphering their complex mechanisms, optimizing their pharmacological properties, and validating their efficacy and safety in robust models and clinical settings. Recent advances in molecular biology, immunology, metabolomics, and computational tools have opened new avenues for elucidating how plant and fungal metabolites modulate inflammatory cascades and reshape immune cell responses. However, systematic research is needed to bridge the gap between traditional usage and evidence-based pharmacology. The goal of this Research Topic is to consolidate cutting-edge studies that provide mechanistic insights, address issues of standardization and bioavailability, and demonstrate translational relevance from bench to bedside. By fostering a multidisciplinary dialogue, we aim to drive the development of next-generation anti-inflammatory therapies met with scientific rigor, innovation, and respect for ethnopharmacological heritage.We invite original research, reviews, systematic analyses, and brief research reports addressing the following themes: • Molecular mechanisms and signaling pathways underlying the anti-inflammatory effects of natural products; • Immunomodulation and microenvironmental effects; • Discovery, isolation, and pharmacological optimization of bioactive plant and fungal compounds; • Therapeutic applications in relevant in vivo and ex vivo disease models; • Clinical trials, safety assessment, and pharmacovigilance; • Future perspectives, including integration with AI and precision medicine. Manuscripts must present fully characterized extracts/compounds and clearly defined pharmacological targets, with rigorous methodological design. All studies are expected to follow Four Pillars of Best Practice in Ethnopharmacology (you can freely download the full version here); detailed identification and contextualization of the material studied is paramount.Important Note:All contributions to this Research Topic must follow the guideline listed in this section:• The introduction should describe the background of the research object and provide bibliographical references that illustrate its recent application in general healthcare.• Research based solely on in silico approaches (e.g., network studies or docking experiments) does not fit with the scopes of this section.• Small molecules exhibiting in silico or in vitro effects but without specific pharmacological targets do not fit with the scopes of this section.• Chemical anti-oxidant assays like the DPPH or ABTS assay are of no pharmacological relevance, therefore they can only be used as chemical-analytical assays without pharmacological claims.• Please self-assess your manuscript using the ConPhyMP tool, and follow the standards established in the ConPhyMP statement (Front. Pharmacol. 13:953205). All manuscripts need to fully comply with the Four Pillars of Best Practice in Ethnopharmacology. Importantly, please ascertain that the ethnopharmacological context is clearly described (pillar 3d) and that the material investigated is characterized in detail (pillars 2a and 2b). Topic editors: Wansu Park, Avramescu Sorin, Nevena Lazarevic Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/76397/advancements-in-natural-product-derived-anti-inflammatory-therapies