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Antioxidants
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Advances in Anticancer Drugs Based on Phytocompounds with Antioxidant Properties—2nd...
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Advances in Anticancer Drugs Based on Phytocompounds with Antioxidant Properties—2nd Edition

A special issue of Antioxidants (ISSN 2076-3921). This special issue belongs to the section "Health Outcomes of Antioxidants and Oxidative Stress".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 September 2026 | Viewed by 2660

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Gabriela V. Vochita

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute of Biological Research Iasi, Branch of NIRDBS, 700107 Iași, Romania
Interests: biocompatibility; cyto and genotoxicity; antioxidants; antitumoral drugs
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Lăcrămioara Opricǎ

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Faculty of Biology, Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iasi, 700506 Iasi, Romania
Interests: salinity and drought alleviation; green chemistry for nanoparticle synthesis; food biochemistry; antioxidant activity; biotic and abiotic stress responses; oxidative stress; plant physiology and biochemistry; antioxidant system in plants and fungi

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Given the growing interest in identifying natural compounds with antioxidant and/or anticancer capacity, research on the characterization and establishment of their biological/therapeutic potential constitutes arguments for issuing a new edition of the Special Issue entitled "Advances in Anticancer Drugs Based on Phytocompounds with Antioxidant Properties—2nd Edition".

The second edition will both present updated research and approach this field from new perspectives. The emphasis will be on the response mechanisms of normal vs. tumor cells to the action of phytocompounds with potential for use in the pharmaceutical, food, and cosmetic industries.

Plant compounds can be used in single administration or in combination with synthetic drugs, but can also form the basis of targeted therapies through the use of specific transfer vectors.

This Special Issue will be focused on the isolation and complex characterization of phytochemicals with antioxidant and antitumor activity, having a potential supportive role in anticancer therapies.

Dr. Gabriela V. Vochita
Dr. Lăcrămioara Oprică
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-blind 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

  • plant extracts
  • phytochemicals
  • anticancer
  • apoptosis
  • antioxidants
  • biocompatibility
  • nanoformulation
  • phytosomes

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

20 pages, 6829 KB  
Article
Polyphyllin II Triggers Pyroptosis in Hepatocellular Carcinoma via Modulation of the ROS/NLRP3/Caspase-1/GSDMD Axis
by Huating Huang, Boran Ni, Qi Chen, Wenqi Wang, Zishuo Guo, Nan Wang, Rui Chen, Xingbin Yin, Changhai Qu, Jian Ni and Xiaoxv Dong
Antioxidants 2026, 15(1), 75; https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox15010075 - 6 Jan 2026
Viewed by 925
Abstract
Pyroptosis is a type of programmed cell death (PCD) with pro-inflammatory properties, which is characterized by the swelling with bubbles and the release of LDH and inflammatory cell cytokines. Polyphyllin II (PPII) is the main active ingredient of the Chinese herb Rhizoma Paridis [...] Read more.
Pyroptosis is a type of programmed cell death (PCD) with pro-inflammatory properties, which is characterized by the swelling with bubbles and the release of LDH and inflammatory cell cytokines. Polyphyllin II (PPII) is the main active ingredient of the Chinese herb Rhizoma Paridis and has been proven to exert high efficacy against a variety of malignant tumors. At present, the anti-tumor research on PPII mainly focuses on apoptosis that is an anti-inflammatory type of PCD, but other potential modes of death cell death and mechanisms of PPII remain to be discovered. Here, we first found that PPII could effectively inhibit the growth of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells via pyroptosis. After treatment with PPII, the morphology of swelling with bubbles and the formation of pores in the cell membrane in HCC cells were observed, and LDH and cell cytokines (IL-1β, IL-18, IL-6, TNF-α, IFN-β, and IFN-γ) were released. Furthermore, the flow cytometry results showed that PPII could activate oxidative stress by increasing Ca2+ influx, thereby promoting the production of ROS to exert anti-tumor effects. RNA sequencing revealed that pyroptosis is closely linked to several signaling pathways, including the MAPK, TNF, Rap1, mTOR, and FoxO pathways, as well as the PD-L1 expression and PD-1 checkpoint pathway. An in vivo study demonstrated that PPII treatment suppressed liver tumor growth in mice by pyroptosis in a dose-dependent manner, and it showed no obvious side effects within a certain range. The Western blot results of tumor tissues revealed that the pyroptosis effect of PPII on liver cancer was associated with the activation of the NLRP3/Caspase1/GSDMD pathway, which upregulates the expression of NLRP3, Cleaved-Caspase 1, GSDMD-N, IL-1β, and IL-18 proteins and downregulates the expression of pro-Caspase 1 and GSDMD proteins. In summary, our findings revealed the pyroptosis effect and mechanism of PPII in HCC cells in vitro and in vivo, suggesting that PPII may be used as a potential pyroptosis inducer for HCC treatment in the future. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Anticancer Drugs Based on Phytocompounds with Antioxidant Properties—2nd Edition)
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24 pages, 5138 KB  
Article
Prunus spinosa L. Branches as a New Source of Condensed Tannins: Phytochemical Profile and Antioxidant, Cytotoxic and Genotoxic In Vitro Evaluation
by Oana Teodora Apreutesei, Carmen Elena Tebrencu, Daniela Gherghel, Lăcrămioara Anca Oprică, Irina Volf and Gabriela Vochița
Antioxidants 2025, 14(12), 1408; https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox14121408 - 26 Nov 2025
Viewed by 960
Abstract
(1) Background: Prunus spinosa L. is known for its polyphenolic profile, including condensed tannins, compounds associated with various biological activities, including antiproliferative effects. Its woody biomass, such as branches, remains largely underexplored, as a few studies have investigated its potential bioactive content. This [...] Read more.
(1) Background: Prunus spinosa L. is known for its polyphenolic profile, including condensed tannins, compounds associated with various biological activities, including antiproliferative effects. Its woody biomass, such as branches, remains largely underexplored, as a few studies have investigated its potential bioactive content. This study aimed to characterize and evaluate the biological potential of crude extract (PS) obtained from P. spinosa branches. (2) Methods: The extract (PS) was prepared using microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) under optimized green conditions (70% ethanol, 1/10 solid–liquid ratio, 5 min, 600 W). Its chemical profile was analyzed by High-Performance Thin-Layer Chromatography (HPTLC). Antioxidant capacity was assessed through HPTLC-DPPH, DPPH and ABTS assays. In vitro cytotoxicity and genotoxicity were evaluated on HeLa (tumoral) and Vero (normal) cell lines using MTT and Comet assays. (3) Results: HPTLC analysis revealed the presence of condensed tannins. The extract demonstrated potent radical scavenging activity (IC50 1.02 ± 0.25 mg/mL), dose-dependent cytotoxicity, and higher sensitivity of HeLa cells. Genotoxic effects were significantly more pronounced in tumor cells than in normal ones. (4) Conclusions: These findings highlight the condensed tannins’ phytochemical profile, antioxidant and selective antitumor properties of PS, supporting its valorization as a sustainable source of multifunctional bioactive compounds. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Anticancer Drugs Based on Phytocompounds with Antioxidant Properties—2nd Edition)
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