Plant and Lichen Metabolites: Characterization and Applications

Dear Colleagues,

Thanks to analytical advances, we can now extract and isolate new metabolites more easily, determine their bioactivities, and identify potential applications in various fields. Progress in understanding the biosynthetic pathways and regulatory networks that govern these specialized metabolites provides a foundation for the targeted regulation of their production.

Specialized metabolites produced by plants and lichens are ecologically significant, as they defend against pathogens, facilitate allelopathic interactions, and enable physiological adaptation to stressors and climate change. They also hold substantial value for humans, serving as key constituents in the pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, cosmetic, and agrochemical industries. Consequently, developing effective, environmentally sustainable production strategies is becoming increasingly important.

Despite their potential, commercial-scale production remains challenging due to low natural yields, environmental variability-driven fluctuations and the high costs associated with extraction and purification. To overcome some limitations, a wide range of biotic and abiotic elicitors are being investigated in plant and lichen biotechnology to enhance metabolite accumulation.

Looking to the future, three research priorities appear particularly crucial: (i) isolating and characterizing new molecules; (ii) developing optimized strategies to maximize the biosynthesis of specialized metabolites, including elicitation, metabolic engineering and improved cultivation systems; and (iii) formulating evidence-based recommendations for the integration of these metabolites into pharmaceutical production and sustainable agricultural practices. These efforts will be pivotal in realizing the full potential of plant and lichen specialized metabolites.

I am pleased to invite you to contribute to this Special Issue, which aims to highlight recent advances in the study of specialized metabolites derived from plants and lichens.

The focus of this Issue is on the comprehensive characterization of these metabolites, including their chemical, biochemical, and functional properties, as well as their current and potential applications across pharmaceutical, environmental, agricultural, and biotechnological fields.

In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the isolation, purification, and structural elucidation of specialized metabolites, along with studies addressing their biosynthesis, biological activities, mechanisms of action, and potential applications.

I look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Agnieszka Hanaka
Guest Editor

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. International Journal of Molecular Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. There is an Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal. For details about the APC please see here. 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.