Advances in Small Bioactive Molecules: From Molecular Pathways to Health Benefits
This special issue belongs to the section "Medicinal Chemistry".
Special Issue Information
Small bioactive molecules play a central role in shaping physiological functions, influencing pathways that regulate metabolism, inflammation, oxidative stress, and cellular communication. Their structural diversity and biological activity make them key candidates for advancing therapeutic strategies, improving disease prevention, and supporting precision nutrition. Recent advances in molecular biology, nutrigenomics, and analytical chemistry have expanded our understanding of how these compounds interact with biological systems, providing new opportunities to translate basic science into clinical and nutritional applications. This Special Issue aims to gather original research and critical reviews exploring the identification, characterization, and functional mechanisms of small bioactive molecules. We invite contributions on molecular targets, signaling pathways, and mechanistic insights, as well as translational studies addressing their role in health promotion and disease management. In particular, we welcome studies highlighting innovative methodologies for analysis, novel sources of bioactive compounds, and their impact on sustainable nutrition and preventive medicine. By integrating evidence across disciplines, this collection seeks to provide a comprehensive overview of recent progress, from fundamental molecular pathways to practical health benefits, advancing the knowledge base of small bioactive molecules as modulators of human health.
Dr. Raffaella Comitato
Dr. Srinivasa Reddy Telukutla
Guest Editors
Dr. Maria Cristina Sorrentino
Guest Editor Assistant
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. Molecules is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly 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 2700 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
- small bioactive molecules
- nutraceuticals
- functional foods
- disease prevention
- diet–health interactions
- signal transduction pathways
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