Harnessing phytochemicals for engineering health solutions

Abstract

The interaction between the genome and the exposome is increasingly recognized as central to human health and disease. While exposome research has generally focused on adverse exposures such as pollutants and toxins, the concept of the beneficial exposome-positive environmental exposures that promote health-remains underexplored. Among the most promising beneficial exposures are plant-derived phytochemicals, a rich class of bioactive compounds with therapeutic potential. Phytoncides, a specific subset of volatile organic compounds released by plants, exemplify this beneficial potential through their antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and neuroprotective effects. Historically utilized in traditional medicine across cultures, plant-based remedies containing these compounds are now being examined through modern genomics, exposomics, and systems biology approaches to understand the specific contributions of phytoncides and other bioactive constituents. Emerging data suggest that phytochemicals modulate gene expression, immune function, and metabolic pathways across multiple organ systems, contributing to immune, neurological, endocrine, cardiovascular, respiratory, integumentary, and mental health improvements. However, the evidence base is predominantly preclinical, with limited human validation, considerable heterogeneity in plant-extract composition, and incompletely characterized molecular mechanisms. This review synthesizes current evidence on genome-exposome interactions (GxE) related to plant-derived compounds, highlighting recent mechanistic insights and exploring translational applications-including forest bathing, green space integration in urban design, and bioengineering approaches-while addressing the challenges of clinical translation. As environmental change accelerates, understanding beneficial GxE offers new opportunities for preventative and precision public health interventions and calls for integrating nature-based solutions into modern healthcare paradigms.

Keywords: Beneficial exposome; Environmental health; Genome-exposome interactions; Multi-omics integration; Nature-based interventions; Phytochemicals; Precision environmental health.

Fig. 1

Gene-environment interactions influenced by plant-based exposures across molecular layers

Fig. 2

Phytoncide emission from plants and their impact on human organ systems