Bioactive Compounds as Therapeutic Leads: From Natural Sources to Mechanisms and Translation
A special issue of Biomedicines (ISSN 2227-9059). This special issue belongs to the section "Drug Discovery, Development and Delivery".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 January 2027 | Viewed by 818
Editors
Interests: natural products; cancer drugs; biological activity assays; chemotherapeutics; molecular targets
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: natural bioactive compounds; flavonoids and isoflavones; isolation and purification
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Bioactive compounds derived from natural sources, including plants, marine organisms, fungi, and microorganisms, have long served as a cornerstone of drug discovery and a rich reservoir of chemical diversity for therapeutic innovation. Polyphenols, alkaloids, terpenoids, flavonoids, isoflavones, peptides, and many other secondary metabolites display a remarkable range of biological and pharmacological activities, encompassing antioxidants, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, antitumor, neuroprotective, cardioprotective, and metabolic effects. Recent advances in preclinical and clinical research have reinforced their promise in the prevention and treatment of complex diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular and neurodegenerative disorders, metabolic syndromes, and infectious diseases. Nevertheless, translating these compounds into effective and approved therapeutics remains a major challenge, requiring deeper mechanistic understanding, robust pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic profiling, innovative formulation and delivery strategies, and rigorous clinical validation.
This Special Issue aims to provide a comprehensive platform for advancing the understanding of bioactive compounds as therapeutic leads, bridging natural product chemistry, mechanistic biology, pharmacology, and translational medicine. Aligned with the scope of Biomedicines, we welcome contributions addressing the discovery, isolation, structural characterization, and biological evaluation of naturally derived molecules, as well as their development into candidate therapeutics. The collection will highlight both experimental and clinical evidence, foster cross-disciplinary dialogue between chemists, biologists, pharmacologists, and clinicians, and pave the way for novel therapeutic strategies grounded in bioactive natural compounds.
For this Special Issue, original research articles and review papers are welcome. Research areas may include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Natural sources, biosynthesis, isolation, and chemical characterization of bioactive compounds;
- Structural elucidation, structure–activity relationships (SAR), and medicinal chemistry of natural leads;
- Molecular mechanisms of action, including modulation of signaling pathways, apoptosis, oxidative stress, and inflammation;
- Bioactive compounds in cancer biology, cardiovascular health, neuroprotection, and metabolic regulation;
- Antimicrobial, antiviral, antiparasitic, and immunomodulatory activities of natural products;
- Novel drug delivery systems, nanoformulations, and bioavailability enhancement strategies;
- Preclinical models, pharmacokinetics, and translational studies of bioactive compounds;
- Clinical evidence, safety profiles, and therapeutic applications of natural-product-derived agents;
- Synergistic effects of bioactive compounds with conventional drugs or other natural molecules;
- Computational approaches, in silico screening, and AI-driven discovery of natural therapeutic leads.
We look forward to receiving your valuable contributions to this Special Issue.
Dr. Bruno Kaufmann Robbs
Prof. Dr. Lucas Silva Abreu
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
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Keywords
- bioactive compounds
- natural products
- therapeutic leads
- drug discovery
- mechanisms of action
- translational medicine
- phytochemicals
- flavonoids and isoflavones
- pharmacological activity
- natural-product-based therapeutics
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