Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death worldwide, and the risk factors include smoking, high blood pressure, diet, high cholesterol, and diabetes. Oxidative stress and inflammation are intricately linked mechanisms and are significant drivers in the development and progression of cardiovascular disease.

Cardiovascular oxidative damage occurs when endogenous antioxidant levels are too insufficient to significantly reduce high levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and associated free radicals. ROS are associated with the pathophysiology of many cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), including cardiac hypertrophy, cardiomyopathy, heart failure, ventricular remodeling, and myocardial infarction. Due to its high energetic demand, the heart has the highest rate of production of ROS, yet in comparison to other mammalian organs the heart has a significantly lower level of antioxidants and total antioxidant enzyme activities. Homeostatic mechanisms that balance ROS generation, antioxidant production, and consumption in CVDs require fine-tuning for optimal therapeutic outcomes.

Some of the key topics that will be covered in this session include the role of oxidative stress and inflammation in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular diseases, the impact of lifestyle factors such as diet and smoking on cardiovascular health, and the potential therapeutic strategies targeting oxidative stress in the treatment of CVDs. We hope that this session will stimulate further discussion and collaboration among researchers and healthcare professionals in the ongoing efforts to combat cardiovascular diseases.

Chronic diseases, most notably diabetes, cancer, cardiovascular diseases, neurodegenerative diseases, thyroid diseases, and allergic diseases, are major causes of death, disability, and a lower quality of life in various populations. Oxidative stress, defined as an imbalance between the production of pro-oxidants (reactive oxygen, nitrogen, and chlorine species) and the body’s production of antioxidants (enzymatic, e.g., superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase, and catalase, and non-enzymatic, e.g., glutathione, uric acid, melatonin, metal-binding proteins, bilirubin, and polyamines), plays an important role in the pathogenesis of these diseases. Lifestyle modifications, including a healthy diet, are a major therapeutic strategy in preventing and treating chronic diseases.

This session will provide insights into the complex relationship between oxidative stress, lifestyle factors, and chronic disease risk, and offer practical strategies for promoting health and well-being through dietary and lifestyle interventions.

The gut is a complex microecosystem. The inter-relationship between the gut microbiome and a host determines the key physiological processes of the body's metabolism. There is a bidirectional mechanism between the gut microbiome and stress. Oxidative stress causes the imbalance of the gut microbiota and harmful bacteria translocation, which cause a series of diseases. The gut microbiota and some of their metabolites are beneficial for the body's antioxidant capacity.

More and more studies have confirmed that antioxidants (probiotics, vitamins, and plant extract with antioxidant properties) can alleviate intestinal oxidative stress, regulate the composition of gut microbiota, improve the disorder of gut microbiota, and improve the antioxidant capacity of the body.

This session will provide insights into the health benefits of major dietary antioxidant groups, and examine in depth the interaction of gut microbiota with these dietary antioxidants with various preclinical and human dietary interventions.

Reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (RONS) play a key role in the regulation of cell survival. Indeed, while adequate levels of RONS are essential to sustain cell proliferation and survival, the disruption of the endocellular redox state induces cell dysfunction and death.

First considered ‘health-promoting’ by virtue of their radical scavenging activity and/or direct antioxidant effects on cellular biomolecules, antioxidants are now believed to be able to interfere with cell signal transduction by intercepting reactive species at the level of critical signalling pathways. In addition, the interaction of these molecules with signalling enzymes, receptors, and transcription factors has emerged recently.

Along these lines, understanding the mechanisms underlying cellular redox homeostasis may help to develop antioxidant-based pharmacological combotherapies to counteract the development of a wide number of redox-dependent pathologies, including cardiovascular, neurodegenerative, and inflammatory-based diseases as well as cancer.

In this session, we welcome extensive studies on raw materials as a valuable source of natural antioxidant compounds, by focusing on the optimization of the methodologies to extract, purify, and stabilize them. Moreover, contributions aimed at evaluating the mechanisms through which antioxidant compounds, of both natural and synthetic origin, may improve human health will also be presented.

Increasing consumer awareness regarding the use of natural antioxidants has led to exploring new natural sources of these compounds. As such, by-products obtained from the agri-food industry constitute an important source of natural antioxidants.

Prior to commercialization at the industrial level, it is first necessary to extract such antioxidants using, if possible, green extraction methods. Secondly, the antioxidants obtained must be characterized considering that their biological activity differs if they are alone or in a matrix. For this purpose, both screening (e.g., spectrophotometric techniques) as well as advanced analysis techniques, including the use of liquid or gas chromatography, coupled with mass detectors, triple quadrupole, etc., will be necessary.

Once the compounds are characterized in a global or individualized way, studies are necessary to demonstrate their safety (e.g., cytotoxicity studies), antioxidant effect, and/or other bioactivities. In vitro and in vivo bioavailability and bioavailability tests will also be required considering the application, since these may be included in active packaging for food, function as food
additives, or be used for different purposes. Furthermore, the encapsulation of antioxidants by food micro-/nano-technologies is also widely used to enhance their bioavailability and/or bioactivities.

In this session, we will cover the following: i) extraction of antioxidants; ii) analysis of antioxidants; iii) in vitro and in vivo cytotoxicity and bioactivity evaluation; iv) in vitro and in vivo bioaccessibility and bioavailability evaluation; v) antioxidants used in food packaging; vi) encapsulation of antioxidants and related applications; and vii) patents and commercial applications.