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Antioxidants
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Advances in Analysis of Antioxidant-Rich Medicinal Plants, Functional Foods and...
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Advances in Analysis of Antioxidant-Rich Medicinal Plants, Functional Foods and Food Supplements

A Special Issue of Antioxidants (ISSN 2076-3921) belonging to the section "Methods for Antioxidants Evaluation/Measurement".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 January 2027 | Viewed by 1590

Editors

Prof. Dr. Audrius Maruška

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Instrumental Analysis Open Access Centre, Vytautas Magnus University, Akademija, LT-53361 Kaunas, Lithuania
Interests: chromatography; liquid chromatography; electrophoresis mass spectrometry analytical chemistry instrumentation; spectrometry; high-performance liquid chromatography analytical method development; functional foods; antioxidants
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Vilma Kaškonienė

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Instrumental Analysis Open Access Centre, Vytautas Magnus University, Akademija, LT- 53361 Kaunas, Lithuania
Interests: chromatography; phytochemistry; mass spectrometry; liquid chromatography; essential oils; flavonoids; analytical chemistry; phytochemicals; medicinal plants; phenolic compounds; bee products; fermentation; food safety; functional food
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The presence of antioxidant-rich functional foods, food supplements and medicinal plant-based pharmaceuticals from nature is highly valued by consumers and health organizations; however, their true potential can only be fully understood through rigorous analytical chemistry, which plays a central role in identifying, quantifying, and validating these natural antioxidants. It is difficult to distinguish the major factor within the entire nutrition chain, but the sample/product preparation/extraction step is quite important, as incorrect preparation, extraction, or treatment methods can destroy, reduce, or degrade valuable compounds, including antioxidants. Non-extracted, potentially digestible components are also of high importance. Nowadays, different analytical techniques allow not only the discovery of new antioxidant sources, new biological activities of natural products, and new application possibilities but also the improvement or assurance of the safety and quality of natural products, including functional foods or food supplements.

This Special Issue invites original research and review articles covering various aspects related to medicinal plants, functional foods, food supplements, and other natural-origin bioactive compounds. Topics include, but are not limited to, advances in extraction, purification, fermentation, and characterization techniques; development and validation of new analytical methods; evaluation of biological activities using in vitro, in vivo, or cell culture models; application of chemometric methods and artificial intelligence in the search for antioxidants; and investigations into the mechanisms of action of extracts, purified fractions, isolated compounds, and/or novel value-added products.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Sincerely,

Prof. Dr. Audrius Maruška
Dr. Vilma Kaškonienė
Guest Editors

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

  • antioxidants
  • bioactive compounds
  • extraction
  • medicinal plants
  • natural products
  • instrumental analysis
  • chromatography
  • spectrometry
  • biological activity
  • chemometrics
  • structure–activity relationship

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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

34 pages, 1493 KB  
Article
Extraction Strategy and C18 Solid-Phase Fractionation Shape Phenolic Profiles, Antioxidant Capacity, and Cancer Cell Antiproliferative Activity of Selected Medicinal Plants
by Domantas Armonavičius, Audrius Maruška, Kristina Bimbiraitė-Survilienė, Mantas Stankevičius, Baltramiejus Jakštys, Tomas Drevinskas, Ugnė Gabrytė, Elżbieta Skrzydlewska, Ona Ragažinskienė, Vilma Kaškonienė, Saulius Šatkauskas, Inga Pečiulienė and Arvydas Kanopka
Antioxidants 2026, 15(7), 870; https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox15070870 - 13 Jul 2026
Viewed by 553
Abstract
Medicinal plants are a rich source of biologically active compounds, including phenolic acids, flavonoids, ellagitannins and other secondary metabolites. However, the contribution of specific groups of phenolic compounds to antiproliferative activity remains insufficiently clarified. This study extends our previous crude-extract screening by evaluating [...] Read more.
Medicinal plants are a rich source of biologically active compounds, including phenolic acids, flavonoids, ellagitannins and other secondary metabolites. However, the contribution of specific groups of phenolic compounds to antiproliferative activity remains insufficiently clarified. This study extends our previous crude-extract screening by evaluating whether C18 solid-phase extraction (SPE) fractions with different phenolic profiles are associated with different antiproliferative responses. In parallel, extraction strategies were compared to assess method-dependent changes in phenolic recovery and antioxidant capacity, and an additional single-species vegetation-stage analysis of Chamaenerion angustifolium L. Holub was performed to evaluate harvest-stage effects. Phytochemical characterisation was performed using spectrophotometric assays and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analyses. Among the tested extraction methods, 75% (v/v) methanol in water was the most effective conventional solvent, and ultrasound-assisted extraction yielded the highest overall TPC (total phenolic content), TFC (total flavonoid content), and RSA (radical scavenging activity) values. Vegetation stage analysis of C. angustifolium L. Holub revealed significant variation in phenolic content and antioxidant activity, with the highest levels observed at the beginning of the flowering. Antiproliferative activity was assessed against five cancer cell lines (4T1, A549, Caki-1, HCT116 and MCF7), while HEK-293 cells were used as an immortalised non-cancerous reference model for general cytotoxicity evaluation. Linear mixed-model analysis confirmed a significant incubation-time effect in all tested cancer cell lines, with IC50 values generally decreasing after prolonged exposure. Statistically significant F2-F3 differences were plant-dependent. The 30% (v/v) methanol in water fraction (F2), enriched in oenothein B in C. angustifolium L., showed stronger antiproliferative activity, whereas the 60% (v/v) methanol in water fraction (F3) showed stronger activity in Quercus robur L., Juglans nigra L., Juglans regia L., and Solidago canadensis L. These findings indicate that antiproliferative activity was associated with the qualitative and quantitative composition of the selected phenolic-rich SPE fractions rather than with a single universal fraction effect. All tested fractions exhibited lower cytotoxicity toward HEK-293 cells under the applied conditions; however, claims of selectivity should be confirmed using additional normal or primary cell models. Overall, the findings clarify the role of extraction strategy, harvest stage and targeted fractionation in linking phenolic composition with biological activity. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Analysis of Antioxidant-Rich Medicinal Plants, Functional Foods and Food Supplements)
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18 pages, 3112 KB  
Article
Gardenia–Astragalus–Crataegus Extract Alleviates Carbon Tetrachloride-Induced Liver Injury in Mice Through Antioxidant and Apoptosis Pathways
by Guangpei Xu, Yanfei He, Xin He, Ping Jiang, Chuanbo Sun and Xinghua Zhao
Antioxidants 2026, 15(6), 701; https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox15060701 - 1 Jun 2026
Viewed by 597
Abstract
The incidence of liver injury has been increasing year by year, potentially progressing to liver fibrosis, cirrhosis, and even hepatocellular carcinoma, posing a threat to human health. Gardenia, Astragalus, and Hawthorn are commonly used natural products with dual purposes as both [...] Read more.
The incidence of liver injury has been increasing year by year, potentially progressing to liver fibrosis, cirrhosis, and even hepatocellular carcinoma, posing a threat to human health. Gardenia, Astragalus, and Hawthorn are commonly used natural products with dual purposes as both medicine and food. While extensive research has been conducted on their individual pharmacological activities, systematic studies on the synergistic effects and efficacy evaluation of their combined use in liver protection are still lacking. This study aimed to investigate the protective effects and underlying mechanisms of the compound Gardenia and Scutellaria extract (GACE) on CCl4-induced liver injury in mice. The composition and content of GACE were analyzed by HPLC. Serum biochemical, inflammatory, and hepatic oxidative stress indicators were detected using assay kits. Liver pathological changes were examined by HE staining, while apoptosis was observed via TUNEL staining. Transcriptomic and metabolomic sequencing were employed to analyze the potential mechanisms of CCl4 in alleviating liver injury. Finally, Western blotting was performed to validate the analytical results. The results demonstrated that CCl4 significantly upregulated the levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-6, IL-12 and IL-2 (p < 0.05), downregulated the level of anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10 (p < 0.05), and caused markedly elevated serum ALT and AST levels (p < 0.01). The hepatic lobule structure was nearly obliterated in liver tissue, with disordered arrangement of hepatic cords and numerous vacuoles appearing in hepatocytes. The TUNEL staining positive cell rate increased significantly compared with the blank group (p < 0.001). Meanwhile, CCl4 also significantly inhibited SOD and GSH-Px activities in liver tissue (p < 0.05), while markedly increasing MDA levels (p < 0.05). GACE significantly alleviated liver tissue damage and reduced hepatocyte apoptosis (p < 0.05). It markedly enhanced SOD and GSH-Px activities in liver tissue while decreasing ALT, AST, MDA, IL-6, IL-12, and IL-2 levels (p < 0.05), thereby mitigating hepatic oxidative damage and inflammatory responses. Integrated transcriptomic and metabolomic analyses revealed that the PI3K-Akt and MAPK signaling pathways play crucial roles in mediating GACE’s therapeutic effects against liver injury. Further validation demonstrated that GACE can attenuate CCl4-induced liver injury by inhibiting the PI3K-Akt and MAPK pathways. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Analysis of Antioxidant-Rich Medicinal Plants, Functional Foods and Food Supplements)
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