Introduction
Nutraceuticals have emerged as vital contributors to health promotion, disease prevention, and sustainable nutrition, offering opportunities that bridge food, medicine, and public health. Despite significant progress in the isolation and characterization of bioactive compounds, challenges remain in translating laboratory findings into clinical practice and real-world applications. This thematic issue will highlight recent advances across the nutraceutical research spectrum, encompassing discovery and structural characterization of secondary metabolites, mechanistic insights into biological activity, evaluation of biomarkers, and development of nutraceutical-based therapeutic strategies. In addition, the issue will welcome contributions addressing the roles of nutraceuticals in ageing, lifestyle interventions, agriculture, and food systems, as well as their broader cultural, social, ethical, and economic implications. By integrating perspectives from basic science, clinical research, and societal studies, this collection aims to provide a comprehensive overview of current trends and future directions in nutraceutical research, fostering dialogue among researchers, clinicians, industry, and policymakers.
Keywords
Bioactive Compounds, Secondary Metabolites, Functional Foods, Biomarkers Of Nutrition And Health, Nutrition And Ageing, Nutrition And Lifestyle, Drug Development, Clinical Applications
Sub-topics
1. Isolation and Characterization of Bioactive Compounds
o Secondary metabolites from plants, microorganisms, and marine sources
o Structural, chemical, and physical characterization
o Synthetic and semi-synthetic derivatives of nutraceuticals
2. Mechanistic Insights and Biological Activity
o Antioxidants and oxidative stress modulation
o Chemoprevention and disease risk reduction
o Biomarkers of nutrition, metabolism, and health outcomes
3. Translational and Clinical Applications
o Nutraceuticals in chronic disease management (e.g., metabolic, neurodegenerative, cardiovascular)
o Role in healthy ageing, cognitive function, and longevity
o Nutraceuticals as adjuvants in drug development and therapeutics
4. Nutrition, Lifestyle, and Personalized Approaches
o Nutraceuticals in dietary interventions
o Personalized and precision nutrition
o Lifestyle-based disease prevention strategies
5. Agriculture, Food Systems, and Sustainability
o Nutraceutical-enriched crops and functional foods
o Innovative agricultural and biotechnological approaches
o Sustainable food production and bioeconomy
6. Societal, Cultural, and Ethical Perspectives
o Cultural acceptance and traditional knowledge of nutraceuticals
o Ethical, ecological, and economic implications
o Policy and regulatory frameworks for nutraceutical development
7. Future Directions and Emerging Technologies
o Nanotechnology and delivery systems for nutraceuticals
o Omics approaches (genomics, metabolomics, proteomics) in nutraceutical research
o AI, computational biology, and digital health integration in nutraceutical discovery
