ijms-logo

Journal Browser

Journal Browser

Discovery of Plant-Derived Compounds and Their Immunomodulatory Applications

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: 31 January 2027 | Viewed by 503

Editor

Innovation Laboratory for Deep and Intensive Processing of Yanbian High Quality Beef, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Yanbian University, Yanji, China
Interests: inflammation; immune activity; plant extracts; biological activity; medicine and food are of the same origin; extraction optimization

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The immune system plays a critical role in maintaining physiological homeostasis, and its dysregulation is implicated in diverse pathologies, including chronic inflammation, autoimmune diseases, and cancer. While synthetic immunomodulators exist, their utility is often limited by side effects or narrow targeting, driving the search for safer, multi-target alternatives derived from natural sources. Plant-derived compounds, such as flavonoids, alkaloids, terpenoids, and polysaccharides, exhibit broad immunomodulatory potential by influencing key immune cells (e.g., macrophages, dendritic cells, T cells) and signaling pathways including NF-κB and MAPK. This Special Issue, titled "Discovery of Plant-Derived Compounds and Their Immunomodulatory Applications," invites original research and reviews that explore the identification, mechanistic action, and therapeutic prospects of phytochemicals in modulating immune responses. Topics of interest include the role of plant metabolites in anticancer immunity, autoimmune regulation, vaccine adjuvants, and novel delivery systems to enhance bioavailability. By integrating traditional knowledge with modern molecular techniques, this Special Issue will advance the development of plant-based immunotherapeutics and foster interdisciplinary collaboration.

Dr. Jun Jiang
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-anonymized 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

  • plant-derived compounds
  • immunomodulators
  • phytochemicals
  • immune signaling
  • natural products
  • autoimmune diseases
  • intestinal flora
  • in vitro evaluation

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.

Published Papers (1 paper)

Order results
Result details
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

18 pages, 1829 KB  
Article
Red Ginseng Ethanolic Extract Alleviates DSS-Induced Colitis in Mice by Suppressing Inflammatory Mediator Production
by Peng-Yu Zhang, Wen-Yu Yu, Ke-Xin Zhang, Xing-Hao Jin, Yi-Dong Song, Mei-Lan Lian, Yue-Jun Hao and Jun Jiang
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2026, 27(12), 5325; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms27125325 - 12 Jun 2026
Viewed by 203
Abstract
Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a chronic inflammatory bowel disease characterized by recurrent intestinal inflammation and mucosal injury. This study evaluated the protective potential of red ginseng ethanolic extract (RGEE) using a dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced colitis mouse model and an LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 [...] Read more.
Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a chronic inflammatory bowel disease characterized by recurrent intestinal inflammation and mucosal injury. This study evaluated the protective potential of red ginseng ethanolic extract (RGEE) using a dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced colitis mouse model and an LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 macrophage model. Preliminary LC-MS profiling was also performed to characterize the detectable chemical features of RGEE. In vivo, RGEE alleviated DSS-induced body weight loss, disease activity, colon shortening, spleen enlargement, and histopathological injury, with the histopathological score reduced by approximately 51.1%. RGEE also partially improved DSS-induced hematological alterations without causing obvious changes in major organ weights. In vitro, RGEE showed no obvious cytotoxicity up to 250 μg/mL and reduced LPS-induced NO, TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-1β production by approximately 60.0–67.1%. LC-MS analysis putatively annotated several saponin-related features, including notoginsenoside R1 and ginsenosides Rb1, Rb2, Rh1, Rh4, and Rh2. These findings suggest that RGEE has protective potential against DSS-induced colitis, which is associated with the suppression of inflammatory mediator production. Further studies are needed to clarify its active constituents and mechanisms of action. Full article
Show Figures

Figure 1

Back to TopTop