In the special issue entitled “Prophylactic Pharmacology for Preemptive Medicine”, we have 5 original research articles and
10 review articles by authors from different countries. These contributions are all relevant to Prophylactic Pharmacology of
edible ingredients as well as medicines in a variety of organs, including brain, bone, heart, gut, liver, etc. Pharmacology has
been dedicated to the discovery and development of innovative drugs useful for diagnosis, therapy and treatment of patients
suffering from a variety of diseases. However, patients have no choice but to take drugs, hoping mitigation of their unpleasant
disabilities and conditions as quickly as possible even at the cost of inevitable untoward side effects, often highly toxic outside
the target cells. On the other hand, prophylaxis is sometimes much more important than therapy. People do not have to suffer
from heavily unpleasant conditions as long as they pay much attention to their lifestyles, including daily food intake in a
particular situation. Edible foods have been often beneficial for preventing and/or alleviating unpleasant conditions after
sustained daily intake from childhood in young to elderly people with particular health disturbances. In contrast to drugs with
inevitable side effects, foods are in principle derived from edible ingredients with guaranteed safety from long-term experiences
for hundreds of years in human history, unless quite excessive amounts are consumed.
In this special issue, Dr. Nakamichi and his colleagues summarized their pharmacological studies on the improvement of
object recognition memory by a food-derived hydrophilic antioxidant. Dr. Nguyen et al. reported their experimental results on
the possible amelioration after chronic royal jelly ingestion of experimental major depressive disorder in mice. Dr. Oikawa et
al. showed their experimental data on the possible involvement of brain-derived neurotrophic factor in mechanisms underlying
enhanced lipid metabolism and increased aerobic glycolysis in the rat liver after oral intake of Eucommia leaf extract. Drs.
Wongprayoon and Govitrapong referred to the neuroprotection by the pineal gland neurohormone melatonin on the basis of
different distribution profiles of receptor subtypes. Dr. Izumo and his colleagues demonstrated in vivo and in vitro data on the
possible alleviation by the milk ingredient lactoferrin of behavioral abnormalities in ovariectomized rats in relation to improved
amine release in the amygdala. Dr. Takahata et al. outlined the current status of various signals required for the progression of
the pathogenesis of osteoarthritis toward future protection. Dr. Kawada et al. described the possible correlation between autism
spectrum disorder onset and glutamate glutamine cycle failure in the brain with a focus on the green tea amino acid theanine.
Dr. Ito cited anti-atherosclerotic properties of polyphenols with a focus on the prevention of cholesterol accumulation in
macrophages in relation to the suppression of lipoprotein oxidation for the regulation of membrane cholesterol transport. Dr.
Nishiyama et al. discussed the possible involvement of particular transient receptor potential channels in the pathogenesis of
different cardiovascular diseases for the proposal of a novel therapeutic strategy. Drs. Enomoto and Lee-Hiraiwa mentioned the
importance of alleviation of sleep disturbance as a strategy to improve delirium common to hospitalized elderly people as well
as patients with intensive care. Dr. Fujimoto et al. described the role of interleukin-19 as an immunoregulatory cytokine, rather
than an anti-inflammatory cytokine, in the pathogenesis of a variety of diseases in relation to their experimental results. Dr.
Moriyama and colleagues demonstrated their experimental data on the possible alleviation by acetate of different inflammatory
responses through a mechanism related to the suppression of the production of nitric oxide and reactive oxygen species in
primary cultured rat microglia. Dr. Sharma et al. reviewed recent findings on the protective potential of Ginkgo biloba against
different symptoms seen in patients with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder by focusing on phytochemicals, such as
Flavonoid glycosides and terpene trilactones, with antioxidant and neuroprotective properties. Dr. Kashem et al. summarized
their own experimental studies on the prediction of the risk of developing alcohol dependence in relation to expression profiles
of amino acid transporters and receptors in the brain. Dr. Kinjo et al. outlined the physiological and pathological significance of
one of the orphan receptors, apelin receptor, in the maintenance of homeostatic, cardiovascular, angiogenetic and neuronal
functions with a focus on intracellular phosphorylation signaling.
This special issue thus aimed to offer an international and interdisciplinary platform to scientists of different disciplines with
a variety of expertise to dispatch their essential scientific information relevant to the discovery and development of innovative
nutraceuticals and dietary supplements with valid scientific evidence for the benefits as the prophylactic and preemptive
medicines, in addition to pharmaceuticals useful for the therapy and treatment of patients suffering from discrete diseases. We
expect that the special issue will promote the interplay and crosstalk within scientists dealing with prophylactic and preemptive
pharmacology in the world.
