Advances in natural medicinal plant-based interventions against hypoxia-related neuroinflammation

In Asian ethnomedicine, medicinal plants have long been used to relieve hypoxia-related symptoms. This review links hypoxia-responsive mechanisms to representative plant-derived modulators with translational potential.

To integrate hypoxia-driven mechanisms of neuroinflammation with ethnopharmacological interventions by comprehensively summarizing pathophysiology and evaluating medicinal plants from traditional use to translational evidence.

A comprehensive literature search was performed across PubMed, Web of Science, ScienceDirect, SpringerLink, Elsevier, and the Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) using keywords such as "hypoxia," "neuroinflammation," "neuroprotection," and "medicinal plants." Relevant studies published between 2010 and 2025 were screened, extracted, and analyzed to elucidate the mechanistic pathways and translational potential of plant-derived modulators in hypoxia-related neuroinflammation. Authoritative pre-2010 sources, monographs, and classical texts were also consulted to supplement historical and ethnopharmacological context.

Traditional practices (e.g., the use of Rhodiola crenulata for high-altitude sickness) align with modern evidence linking hypoxia, oxidative stress, and inflammation. Phytochemicals such as crocin, geniposide, and salidroside modulate HIF-1α-NF-κB-NLRP3 and Nrf2/ARE signaling and confer anti-neuroinflammatory and anti-hypoxic effects; standardized extracts such as EGb 761 illustrate clinical translation.

Herbal medicines-represented by Gynostemma pentaphyllum, Crocus sativus, Rhodiola crenulata, and Panax ginseng-have shown promising efficacy for treating hypoxia-related neuroinflammatory disorders and offer new options for drug development.