Molecular and Multiomics (Genomics, Proteomics, Transcriptomics) Approaches for Enhancing Anti-aging Properties of Plant Secondary Metabolites

Molecular and multi-omics approaches to enhance the anti-aging properties of plant secondary metabolites are a highly interdisciplinary pursuit that combines plant chemistry, ethnobotany, biology, biotechnology, pharmacology, and anti-aging research. Although thousands of medicinal plants have yet to be studied, many of them are recognized for their anti-aging properties, mainly due to their anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and skin-rejuvenating metabolites. However, identifying promising anti-aging compounds is taking time, is scarce, and requires advanced analytical tools due to the complexity of plant metabolomes. Multiomics techniques are increasingly being used and applied to medicinal plants to identify species-specific molecular markers and functional genes underlying key biological traits, to elucidate the regulatory mechanisms of environmental responses and the biosynthetic pathways of bioactive compounds. Thus, the combination of systems biology, artificial intelligence, and biotechnology platforms offers a strategic opportunity for the expansion of innovative, effective, and scalable anti-aging agents. This chapter provides insights into the genetic basis of anti-aging activity, chemistry, and physiology of mode-of-action, as well as cellular mechanisms of anti-aging secondary metabolites. In addition, the chapter presents metabolomics, genomics, proteomics, and transcriptomics approaches that are being used to unravel the mechanism behind understanding the biosynthetic pathways of anti-aging secondary metabolites and their manipulation for genetic improvement of the concerned medicinal plant species.