Translating Natural Compounds Into Therapeutics: Multi-Target and Molecular Approaches Against Metabolic Diseases and Bacterial Biofilms
A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Endocrinology and Metabolism".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 January 2026
Special Issue Editor
Interests: Phytochemistry, Medicinal Plants, Pharmaceutical Sciences, Nano particles
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Metabolic diseases such as diabetes and chronic inflammatory conditions (rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and periodontitis) continue to cause a substantial health burden worldwide. Instantaneously, the perseverance of bacterial biofilms in affected areas in humans presents a significant barrier to effective antimicrobial rehabilitations. These multifactorial disorders share common pathogenic hallmarks, including oxidative stress, glycation, immune dysregulation and microbial resistance, emphasizing the need for therapeutics with multi-target potential. Natural compounds, particularly those derived from medicinal plants, have emerged as promising therapeutic candidates due to their structural diversity and ability to modulate multiple molecular targets. Recent advances in molecular research have enabled a deeper understanding of plant secondary metabolites and their pharmacological activities through transcriptomic, metabolomic, and proteomic profiling. Moreover, computational and systems biology approaches have strengthened the capacity to predict, model, and validate the therapeutic relevance of these bioactives.
This Special Issue invites high-quality original research articles and comprehensive reviews that investigate the therapeutic applications of natural products through multi-target and molecular strategies. Contributions integrating molecular, experimental and computational methodologies to elucidate the mechanisms of action of plant-derived compounds are especially encouraged.
Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:
- Molecular characterization of medicinal plant extracts and isolated bioactives
- Mechanistic insights into the modulation of advanced glycation end-products (AGEs), oxidative stress and chronic inflammation
- Inhibition of bacterial biofilm formation and virulence by phytochemicals
- Applications of molecular docking, DFT, dynamics and simulation studies in natural product research
- Network pharmacology and systems-level modeling of bioactive compound–target interactions
- Omics-guided exploration of medicinal plants in the context of metabolic and infectious diseases
- Translational studies advancing plant-based molecules from bench to potential therapeutic leads
This Special Issue aims to provide a comprehensive platform for advancing molecular research on medicinal plants and for fostering interdisciplinary contributions at the interface of natural product chemistry, pharmacology and computational biology.
Dr. Adnan Amin
Guest Editor
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Keywords
- Systems pharmacology
- Metabolic disorders, Molecular mechanistics, medicinal plants, Multi-target therapeutics, Omics technologies, Biofilms
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