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Plant Extracts and Bioactive Molecules with Potential Benefits for Human Health—2nd Edition

A Special Issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067) belonging to the section "Bioactives and Nutraceuticals".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 28 February 2027 | Viewed by 1564

Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Integrated Mountain Territorial Development, “Costin C. Kiriţescu” National Institute of Economic Research—Center for Mountain Economics (INCE-CEMONT) of Romanian Academy, 725700 Vatra Dornei, Romania
Interests: plant/lichen secondary metabolites-identification and pharmacological potential; phenolic compounds; antibiotics; antimicrobial activity; in vitro anticancer activity; oral cancer; ROS; oxidative stress; antioxidants/pro-oxidants; healthcare; health environment; foods; diet analysis; nutrition; nutritional supplements; case studies
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Pharmacognosy, Phytochemistry and Phytotherapy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Traian Vuia Str. No 6, District 2, 020956 Bucharest, Romania
Interests: rutoside; β-cyclodextrin; hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin; inclusion complexes; antioxidant activity
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Following the success of the first edition of this Special Issue, we are delighted to launch the second edition, which continues to explore the pharmacological potential of plant sources and their benefits for human health.

Plants contain valuable bioactive constituents that have health benefits, preventing and treating various diseases, and improving consumer wellbeing. Medicines, healthcare products, dietary supplements, food preservatives, and cosmetics are among the many applications of these phytochemicals, which have substantial economic value. Thus, through advanced extraction and purification techniques, scientists can investigate a wide range of bioactive phytocompounds, aiming to decipher their influence on various cellular and molecular processes.

This Special Issue will focus on the following topics:

  • Current trends in plant product biotechnology;
  • Identification and quantification of bioactive compounds in plant extracts;
  • Plant-derived natural products as a source for drug development;
  • Phytobioactive compounds as therapeutic agents for human diseases;
  • Dual redox behavior of plant secondary metabolites and benefits in health and disease;
  • Cellular and molecular mechanisms of bioactive phytocompounds in the prevention and treatment of various diseases;
  • Essential oils and other plant-derived products for applications as food preservatives;
  • Advances in food products enriched with plant extracts;
  • The role of a plant-based diet in preventing and treating various diseases.

Dr. Violeta Popovici
Prof. Dr. Cerasela Elena Gîrd
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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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

  • medicinal plants
  • plant extracts
  • bioactive phytocompound identification and quantification
  • pharmacological activity
  • health benefits
  • phytotherapy
  • plant-based diet
  • functional foods

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

32 pages, 6223 KB  
Article
Comparative Analysis of Phenolic Acid Profiles, Antioxidant Capacity, and Antimicrobial Activity of Honeys from Different Botanical and Geographical Origins
by Corina-Bianca Ioniță-Mîndrican, Antoanela Popescu, Magdalena Mititelu, Denisa-Elena Dumitrescu, Carolina Negrei, Iuliana Stoicescu, Violeta Popovici, Carmen Elena Lupu, Alina Maria Holban, Irinel Adriana Badea, Leontina Elena Filipiuc and Eliza Oprea
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2026, 27(17), 7848; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms27177848 - 2 Sep 2026
Viewed by 896
Abstract
The composition of honey is complex and can vary depending on its botanical and geographical origin. This study evaluated the phenolic acid profile (PAP), antioxidant activity, and antimicrobial properties of honey samples from different geographical origins, such as Romania (nine types: multiflower, thyme, [...] Read more.
The composition of honey is complex and can vary depending on its botanical and geographical origin. This study evaluated the phenolic acid profile (PAP), antioxidant activity, and antimicrobial properties of honey samples from different geographical origins, such as Romania (nine types: multiflower, thyme, manna, hawthorn, black locust, linden, rapeseed, mint, and pasture), Malaysia (Tualang), New Zealand (Manuka), and Spain (chestnut). Twelve different varieties of honey were analyzed, one sample for each type, and all analyses were performed in triplicate. Phenolic acids were extracted by solid-phase extraction (SPE) using C18 cartridges, followed by high-performance liquid chromatography with diode-array detection (HPLC-DAD) analysis at 310 nm. Antioxidant activity was assessed using the 2,2′-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 2,2′-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) assays. Antimicrobial activity was evaluated by agar diffusion and broth microdilution to determine the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), while microbial anti-adherence activity was assessed using the crystal violet staining assay to determine the minimum anti-adherence inhibitory concentration (MAIC). The tested microorganisms included the reference strains Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 27853, Escherichia coli ATCC 25922, Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923, Enterococcus faecalis ATCC 29212, and Candida albicans ATCC 10231, as well as two C. albicans isolates (24114 and 5329). Several phenolic acids, including chlorogenic, caffeic, ferulic, trans-cinnamic, 3-O-methylgallic, p-coumaric, and syringic acids, were identified at varying concentrations across the analyzed honey samples. Rapeseed honey exhibited the highest overall concentration of phenolic acids. Among the honey samples analyzed, chestnut honey had the highest concentration of cinnamic acid, mint honey the highest concentration of ferulic acid, and multiflower honey the highest concentration of syringic acid. Tualang honey exhibited the highest antioxidant activity by both methods, reaching 2.103 mg TE/g honey for DPPH and 1.701 mg TE/g honey for ABTS. Tualang honey also exhibited the strongest antimicrobial activity against C. albicans and P. aeruginosa, whereas multifloral honey was the most active against E. faecalis. The analyzed honey extracts differed in their phenolic acid composition and biological activities, including antioxidant, antimicrobial, and anti-adherence effects of microorganisms on substrates. While associations were observed between selected phenolic acids and some of the evaluated biological activities, the overall biological properties of honey are more likely to arise from the combined contribution of multiple bioactive constituents than from individual compounds alone. The novelty of this study lies in the comparative assessment of the PAP obtained following SPE, and the biological activities of different types of honey from various botanical and geographical sources. Full article
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