Bioactive Natural Molecules and Traditional Herbal Medicine in the Treatment of Airways Diseases

The use of herbal medicines has been documented throughout recorded history including Assyrian clay tablets (2000 BC) and the Egyptian Ebers Papyrus (1550 BC) and in Ayurveda works from 900 BC. Arab scholars in Europe kept detailed notes regarding the use of medicinal plants. In the modern era, the research of natural bioactive molecules began with the isolation of morphine from opium latex in 1805 by Sertürner. A famous bioactive compound isolated from plants, salicylic acid, was isolated from willow bark in the 19th century. In 1900, Bayer patented a derivative of the compound to treat pain and inflammation and sold it under the brand name aspirin. Numerous other natural compounds have been discovered and used for the treatment of diseases. Considerable progress has been made in the understanding of genetic and immunological factors that contribute to the development of airway disorders such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and acute lung injury. Unfortunately , current therapies and treatments for airway disorders have not advanced dramatically despite our increased knowledge base. Traditional herbal medicine and bioactive natural products are being used as therapeutic substitutes or as complementary treatments to augment existing therapies. The natural compounds found in these may have the potential to form the basis of new drugs for the treatment of diseases. In this special issue, we took a particular interest in reviews and original papers that investigate the effects of bioactive natural molecules and traditional herbal medicines in clinical and preclinical (cellular or animal models) studies in prevention and treatment of airways diseases. Allergic asthma is an airway inflammatory disorder coordinated by CD4 + T cells with Th2 phenotype. The main characteristics of asthma are airway hyperresponsiveness, eosinophilic inflammation, and hypersecretion of mucus. Typical asthma treatments include í µí»½ 2-agonists and inhaled or systemic corticosteroids. In addition, inhibitors of LT synthesis (such as zileuton, which directly inhibits 5-LO) or CysLT1 antagonists (such as montelukast, zafirlukast, and pranlukast) may also be used as complementary therapies to treat asthma, reducing the requirement for corticosteroids. Although the drugs described above have potent effects when used individually or in combination, they also have adverse side effects that limit their long-term use. Thus, it is necessary to develop new compounds with similar therapeutic potential and less adverse effects for the continuous treatment of airway diseases. In an ongoing search for bioactive plant-derived natural products, several groups, including some of this special issue, …