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New Advances in Natural Product Research for Drug Discovery and...
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New Advances in Natural Product Research for Drug Discovery and Therapeutics

A special issue of Life (ISSN 2075-1729). This special issue belongs to the section "Plant Science".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2026 | Viewed by 1623

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Luciana R. Tallini

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Biology, Health and Environment, Faculty of Pharmacy and Food Sciences, University of Barcelona, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
Interests: biotechnology; natural products; plant sciences; Amaryllidaceae
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Laura Torras-Claveria

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Departament de Biologia, Sanitat i Medi Ambient, Facultat de Farmàcia i Ciències de l'Alimentació, University of Barcelona, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
Interests: Amaryllidaceae; alkaloids; GC-MS; LC-MS; biological activities
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue, titled "New Advances in Natural Product Research for Drug Discovery and Therapeutics", will highlight the growing significance of natural products as a pivotal resource in the development of novel therapeutic agents. Historically, natural products have played a foundational role in drug discovery, serving as direct sources of pharmaceuticals or as structural templates for the synthesis of bioactive compounds. In recent years, there has been a resurgence of interest in this field, driven by advances in analytical techniques, genomics, metabolomics, and bioinformatics, which have collectively enabled the identification and characterization of previously inaccessible or overlooked natural compounds.

For this Special Issue, we invite original research articles, reviews, and short communications that explore new natural product sources, elucidate mechanisms of action, present novel methodologies for compound isolation or structure elucidation, or demonstrate therapeutic potential in areas such as antimicrobial resistance, cancer, inflammation, neurological disorders, and metabolic diseases. A special emphasis will be placed on interdisciplinary approaches combining traditional knowledge with cutting-edge technologies, as well as on the sustainable exploration of biodiversity-rich environments.

Dr. Luciana R. Tallini
Dr. Laura Torras-Claveria
Guest Editors

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. Life is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). 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 extract
  • natural Product
  • biological activity
  • chemical profiling
  • drug discovery
  • clinical applications

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (2 papers)

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24 pages, 8377 KB  
Article
Bioactive Profiling and Evaluation of Anti-Proliferative Potential of Salvadora persica Bark Extract in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Cells: An In Vitro and Computational Analysis
by Abrar Turki, Md. Abul Barkat, Yasmin Basheer Ahmed, Harshita Barkat, Raghad Rashed Alotaibi, Shivbrat Upadhyay, Juveriya Israr and Sahabjada Siddiqui
Life 2026, 16(6), 943; https://doi.org/10.3390/life16060943 - 3 Jun 2026
Viewed by 205
Abstract
Background: Salvadora persica (S. persica), commonly known as ‘Miswak,’ has been used in ethnotraditional applications since ancient times. This study was formulated to examine bioactive phenolics and flavonoids from the hydroethanolic extract of S. persica bark, anticancer activity, and in [...] Read more.
Background: Salvadora persica (S. persica), commonly known as ‘Miswak,’ has been used in ethnotraditional applications since ancient times. This study was formulated to examine bioactive phenolics and flavonoids from the hydroethanolic extract of S. persica bark, anticancer activity, and in silico binding interaction analysis with key therapeutic targets of triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) cells. Methods: UHPLC was used to identify the phytochemicals in S. persica bark extract. Cell death was analyzed by MTT assay in TNBC MDA-MB-231 and MDA-MB-468 cells. Moreover, cellular apoptosis, ROS generation, MMP, and cell cycle checkpoints were also carried out. AutoDock Tools 1.5.7 and PyRx 0.8 tools were used for molecular binding interaction analysis. Results: Phytochemical analysis revealed the presence of total phenolic and total flavonoid content of 26.90 ± 0.46 μg GAE/mg and 54.51 ± 0.42 μg QE/mg of bark extract, respectively. UHPLC analysis confirmed the presence of fumaric acid, chlorogenic acid, rutin, and quercetin in the extract. S. persica significantly reduced cell viability of MDA-MB-231 and MDA-MB-468 cells with an IC50 value of 144 and 128 μg/mL, respectively. S. persica extract elevated ROS generation, loss of MMP, late apoptosis induction, and G2/M-phase cell cycle arrest, while it did not show any significant effect against normal kidney Vero cells. Molecular docking studies revealed that rutin showed strong binding affinity towards EGFR with B.E. = −9.8 and −9.5 Kcal/mol; FGFR1 with B.E. = −7.4 and −7.5 Kcal/mol; FGFR4 with B.E. = −7.5 and −7.9 Kcal/mol; and csGRP78 with B.E. = −9.0 and −9.3 Kcal/mol, using Autodock Vina and PyRx tools, respectively. SwissADME and drug-likeness analysis confirmed acceptable drug-like characteristics and favorable pharmacokinetic profiles of the identified molecules. Conclusions: This study highlighted the potential of phytochemicals from S. persica bark as promising compounds for the development of novel anticancer therapeutics. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Advances in Natural Product Research for Drug Discovery and Therapeutics)
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19 pages, 3708 KB  
Article
Comparative Bioactivities and Fatty Acid Composition of Pinus koraiensis Leaf Oils Obtained Using Different Extraction Methods
by Jung-Eun Kim, Kyung Tae Jang, Leeseon An, Min-Ho Lee and Hyo-Jeong Lee
Life 2026, 16(1), 49; https://doi.org/10.3390/life16010049 - 27 Dec 2025
Viewed by 861
Abstract
Pinus koraiensis leaves are known for various bioactivities, including anti-cancer, anti-obesity, anti-diabetic, and anti-hyperlipidemic effects. This study aimed to compare the essential oil from P. koraiensis leaves (EPO) and the supercritical-CO2-extracted oil (SPO) for physicochemical traits, antibacterial and anticancer activities, and [...] Read more.
Pinus koraiensis leaves are known for various bioactivities, including anti-cancer, anti-obesity, anti-diabetic, and anti-hyperlipidemic effects. This study aimed to compare the essential oil from P. koraiensis leaves (EPO) and the supercritical-CO2-extracted oil (SPO) for physicochemical traits, antibacterial and anticancer activities, and anti-inflammatory/antioxidant effects, and profiled fatty acids by means of GC-MS. SPO showed stronger antimicrobial activity than EPO against Streptococcus mutans, whereas EPO was more active against Candida albicans. In HaCaT keratinocytes and THP-1 monocytic cell line, SPO more effectively suppressed LPS-induced ROS and attenuated TNF-α and IL-6 upregulation. Across a panel of human cancer cell lines, SPO exerted greater cytotoxicity, particularly in non–small cell lung, prostate, and colon cancers. GC–MS revealed greater compositional diversity in SPO (16 fatty acids, 10 unique), while linolelaidic acid was detected only in EPO; pentadecenoic acid was abundant in all oils. Collectively, SPO demonstrates broader bioactivity and richer fatty-acid diversity than EPO, supporting its potential as a functional food or medicinal ingredient. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Advances in Natural Product Research for Drug Discovery and Therapeutics)
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