Applications of Phytochemicals in Drug Synthesis
A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Bioactives and Nutraceuticals".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 November 2025 | Viewed by 270
Special Issue Editor
Interests: metabolomics; phytochemistry; natural products; secondary metabolites; agri-food byproducts; chromatography; mass spectrometry
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
I am pleased to announce the launch of a Special Issue dedicated to the synthesis of new potential drugs from natural compounds. Nature represents our widest source of chemicals: natural products can be obtained by terrestrial or marine organisms and microbial sources and play a crucial role in the continuous development of medicine. Among the many examples of natural compounds converted to drugs are antimicrobials, painkillers, anesthetics, and anticancer agents. With the development of chemical synthesis, medicine went further and began to transform these molecules into new semi-synthetic agents characterized by higher efficacy and selectivity but also higher safety for human and animal use. However, there is still further progress to be made, such as in developing novel drugs to counteract diseases such as cancer and microbial infections, considering that many of the therapeutic agents that are currently available show low efficacy and selectivity. Additionally, the resistance of tumor cells and microorganisms to chemotherapy is an urgent issue. As well as discovering novel potential drugs from natural sources, there is the need to develop new semi-synthetic approaches to improving the pharmacological properties and safety of known natural compounds, paying attention to sustainability and affordability.
Our aim for this Special Issue is to collect original research articles, reviews, and perspectives dealing with analytical and synthetic chemistry, specifically, the identification of novel natural compounds with potential uses as drugs, their isolation and purification, and, in particular, approaches to their transformation into potent and safe drugs. Synthetic approaches can also involve biotechnological transformations performed using specific microbes or enzymes. Interested authors are invited to submit manuscripts by the deadline. I look forward to reading your contributions.
Dr. Gregorio Peron
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 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.
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.
Keywords
- natural products
- phytochemistry
- chemical synthesis
- drugs
- medicinal plants
- natural sources
- byproducts
Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue
- Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
- Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
- Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
- External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
- Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.
Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.
