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14.7
8.2
Journals
Antioxidants
Special Issues
Antioxidant Activity of Medicinal Plants
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Antioxidant Activity of Medicinal Plants

A Special Issue of Antioxidants (ISSN 2076-3921) belonging to the section "Health Outcomes of Antioxidants and Oxidative Stress".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 October 2026 | Viewed by 2272

Editors

Dr. Giovanna Baron

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Università degli Studi di Milano, 20122 Milan, Italy
Interests: antioxidants; phytochemicals; mass spectrometry; Nrf2; pharmacokinetic
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Larissa Della Vedova

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor Assistant
1. Department of Biomolecular Health Sciences, Division of Cell Biology, Metabolism & Cancer, University of Utrecht, Yalelaan 2, 3584 CM Utrecht, The Netherlands
2. Bioinformatics Group, Wageningen University, 6708 PB Wageningen, The Netherlands
Interests: mass spectrometry; metabolomics; natural products; microbiome; computational metabolomics

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Oxidative stress plays a central role in the development of chronic and degenerative diseases. While medicinal plants are widely recognized as sources of antioxidant compounds, increasing evidence indicates that their biological effects are not primarily driven by direct radical-scavenging activity, but rather by the modulation of cellular redox signalling pathways and endogenous defence systems.

This Special Issue of Antioxidants, entitled “Antioxidant Activity of Medicinal Plants”, aims to collect original research articles and reviews focusing on less-studied medicinal plants and their bioactive constituents. Particular emphasis will be placed on comprehensive phytochemical characterization combined with mechanism-oriented evaluation of antioxidant activity, including the activation of cellular antioxidant responses, redox-sensitive pathways, and adaptive stress signalling. Contributions addressing structure–activity relationships, molecular targets, and the use of advanced analytical, cellular, and omics-based approaches are especially encouraged. Studies that move beyond conventional antioxidant assays and provide biologically relevant evidence of functional activity are particularly welcome.

By highlighting underexplored botanical sources and mechanism-based antioxidant effects, this Special Issue aims to offer a focused and innovative perspective on the role of medicinal plants in redox biology and oxidative stress-related disorders.

Dr. Giovanna Baron
Guest Editors

Dr. Larissa Della Vedova
Guest Editor Assistant

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-anonymized peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Antioxidants is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • medicinal plants
  • natural antioxidants
  • phytochemicals

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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28 pages, 59597 KB  
Article
Antioxidant and Antidiabetic Activity of the Bulb Extract of Crinum amoenum Roxb. ex Ker Gawl: An Integrated In Vitro, In Vivo and In Silico Approach
by Prabhat Kumar Jha, Kalsoom Khan, Asad Abbas, Ralf Weiskirchen, Bibek Kumar Kohar, Namrata Bhattarai, Ram Kishor Yadav, Biswash Sapkota, Abdul Malik, Sushil Panta and Bipindra Pandey
Antioxidants 2026, 15(8), 1004; https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox15081004 - 13 Aug 2026
Viewed by 1210
Abstract
Crinum amoenum Roxb. ex Ker Gawl. (C. amoenum) is traditionally used in Nepal, but its antidiabetic potential remains insufficiently validated. This study characterized the 80% (v/v) ethanol bulb extract of C. amoenum and evaluated its antioxidant, α-amylase [...] Read more.
Crinum amoenum Roxb. ex Ker Gawl. (C. amoenum) is traditionally used in Nepal, but its antidiabetic potential remains insufficiently validated. This study characterized the 80% (v/v) ethanol bulb extract of C. amoenum and evaluated its antioxidant, α-amylase inhibitory, hypoglycemic, molecular docking, molecular dynamics (MD) simulation, and ADMET profiles. The ethanolic bulb extract was evaluated through phytochemical screening, thin-layer chromatography, total phenolic content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC) estimation, LC-MS analysis, antioxidant assays, α-amylase inhibition assays, acute toxicity testing, and hypoglycemic/oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) studies in Wistar rats. Lycorine, pratorinine, and palmatine were docked against α-amylase (PDB ID: 5U3A) and GLP-1R (PDB ID: 6GB1), followed by 200 ns MD simulations and ADMET prediction. Qualitative analysis of the extract was positive for flavonoids, phenolic compounds, tannins, saponins, alkaloids, and carbohydrates, and a positive Salkowski reaction indicated the presence of constituents occurring in glycosidic form. The TPC was 173.38 ± 1.22 mg GAE/g, and the TFC was 314.58 ± 0.09 mg QE/g. LC-MS tentatively annotated lycorine, pratorinine, and palmatine based on retention time, m/z values in positive-mode electrospray ionization, and comparison with previously reported spectral information. The extract showed DPPH scavenging activity (IC50: 90.98 μg/mL) and strong α-amylase inhibition (IC50: 49.31 μg/mL) compared with acarbose (IC50: 51.51 μg/mL). No deaths were observed following oral administration at 5000 mg/kg to rats. The 500 mg/kg dose produced the greatest hypoglycemic response, reducing blood glucose by 35.78% at 120 min in non-diabetic Wistar rats and by 19.21% at 60 min in glucose-loaded rats. Among all the compounds tested, pratorinine demonstrated the highest docking affinity with α-amylase (−8.2 kcal/mol; ASP300) and GLP-1R (−7.0 kcal/mol; GLY132). MD simulation supported greater stability of the α-amylase complex, and ADMET prediction identified pratorinine as a comparatively favorable predicted lead candidate (LD50: 1000 mg/kg; Class 4 toxicity category). Pratorinine was identified as the most promising in silico antidiabetic candidate from the C. amoenum extract, primarily due to stable α-amylase interactions and favorable ADMET properties. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Antioxidant Activity of Medicinal Plants)
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Review

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19 pages, 1292 KB  
Review
Synergistic Interactions Between Inulin-Type Fructans and Plant Polyphenols: Implications for Antioxidant Activity, Bioavailability, and Functional Food Development
by Anca Daniela Raiciu, Mihaela Carmen Eremia and Amalia Stefaniu
Antioxidants 2026, 15(7), 788; https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox15070788 - 24 Jun 2026
Viewed by 423
Abstract
Inulin-type fructans are widely recognized as functional polysaccharides with prebiotic properties, while plant polyphenols represent one of the most important classes of natural antioxidants. Increasing evidence demonstrates that interactions between dietary fibers such as inulin and phenolic compounds significantly influence antioxidant capacity, bioavailability, [...] Read more.
Inulin-type fructans are widely recognized as functional polysaccharides with prebiotic properties, while plant polyphenols represent one of the most important classes of natural antioxidants. Increasing evidence demonstrates that interactions between dietary fibers such as inulin and phenolic compounds significantly influence antioxidant capacity, bioavailability, and physiological activity. The present review integrates recent advances regarding the chemical structure of inulin, extraction sources, molecular interactions with polyphenols, and implications for antioxidant activity in functional foods and nutraceuticals. Experimental studies indicate correlations between inulin concentration and antioxidant parameters such as DPPH, FRAP, SOD and CAT activities. Furthermore, physicochemical interactions between cell wall polysaccharides and polyphenols influence the stability, release kinetics and bioefficacy of antioxidant compounds. These findings support the potential development of optimized functional formulations combining inulin-rich plant extracts with polyphenol sources for improved health benefits. The literature was identified through searches of PubMed, Scopus and Web of Science databases (2000–2026). Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Antioxidant Activity of Medicinal Plants)
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