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Exclusive Feature Papers in Natural Products Chemistry, 3rd Edition
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Exclusive Feature Papers in Natural Products Chemistry, 3rd Edition

A special issue of Molecules (ISSN 1420-3049). This special issue belongs to the section "Natural Products Chemistry".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 August 2026 | Viewed by 2215

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. David Barker

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Chemical Sciences, The University of Auckland, Auckland 1010, New Zealand
Interests: medicinal chemistry; natural products total synthesis; asymmetric synthesis; bioactive natural products; polymeric materials; anticancer treatments; synthesis from biowaste-derived materials; isotopically labelled materials
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Francesco Cacciola

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Chemical, Biological, Pharmaceutical and Environmental Sciences, University of Messina, Messina, Italy
Interests: food chemistry; natural products; phenolic acids; flavonoids; anthocyanins; carotenoids; HPLC; mass spectrometry
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

It is our pleasure to announce the third edition of this Special Issue, entitled “Exclusive Feature Papers in Natural Products Chemistry, 3rd Edition”. This is a collection of important high-quality papers (original research articles or comprehensive review papers) published in open access format by two Editorial Board Members acting as Guest Editors. This Special Issue aims to discuss new knowledge or cutting-edge developments in Natural Products Chemistry research, addressing comprehensive aspects related to bioactive compounds occurring in food and natural real-world samples in the hope of making a great contribution to the community. We intend for this Special Issue to be a high-quality forum for disseminating excellent research findings as well as sharing innovative ideas in the field.

Prof. Dr. David Barker
Prof. Dr. Francesco Cacciola
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. 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

  • natural products
  • plant secondary metabolism
  • phytochemical analysis
  • nutrients and bioactive compounds
  • bioaccessibility and bioavailability
  • antioxidant
  • anti-inflammatory
  • anticancer

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Related Special Issues

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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21 pages, 1303 KB  
Article
Boosting the Sustainable Transformation of Cornus mas L. Stones Using a Hybrid Strategy Involving Microwave-Assisted Extraction
by Stanislava S. Boyadzhieva, Flora V. Tsvetanova, Jose A. P. Coelho, Plamena Staleva, Mariana Kamenova-Nacheva, Sabina Taneva and Roumiana P. Stateva
Molecules 2026, 31(3), 525; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules31030525 - 2 Feb 2026
Viewed by 493
Abstract
A hybrid two-route strategy for converting Cornus mas L. stones into bioactive and other high-value compounds was developed and thoroughly evaluated. In Route 1, microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) is applied directly to the stones biomass following an experimental design created with Design Expert 11. [...] Read more.
A hybrid two-route strategy for converting Cornus mas L. stones into bioactive and other high-value compounds was developed and thoroughly evaluated. In Route 1, microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) is applied directly to the stones biomass following an experimental design created with Design Expert 11. Route 2 involves Soxhlet n-hexane extraction of the raw biomass, followed by MAE of the resulting defatted residue. The efficiency of the two routes was evaluated by comparing total polyphenol, flavonoid, and saponin content (TPC, TFC, TSC) and antioxidant activity (AA) of all obtained extracts, the fatty acid composition of MAE (route 1) and Soxhlet n-hexane extracts, and the metabolite composition of MAE extracts recovered in Route 1 and Route 2. The series of analyses performed involved GC–FID fatty acid profiling and composition determination using HPLC-HRMS/MS. These analyses showed that Soxhlet oil yield was 4.00 ± 0.18% with low AA, whereas subsequent MAE extracts had higher TPC, TFC, and TSC and 1.7-fold higher ABTS values than those of MAE Route 1. The increased AA is likely a result of the higher overall phenolic content, especially the presence of the potent antioxidant methyl gallate, which was not detected in MAE Route 1 extract, and not identified in C. cherry stones until now. Our results show that the CCD-optimized hybrid strategy effectively maximizes the recovery of bioactive compounds, demonstrates the superior potential of Route 2 for obtaining antioxidant-rich extracts, and widens the extent of applications of the underused C. cherry stone biomass. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Exclusive Feature Papers in Natural Products Chemistry, 3rd Edition)
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Review

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39 pages, 1225 KB  
Review
Key Dietary Flavonoids: Insights into Their Structural Characteristics, Antioxidant and Anti-Inflammatory Activities, and Potential as Neuroprotective Agents
by Mirtha Navarro-Hoyos, Rajesh Bisoyi, Puja KC, Nicholas Lutz and Mary Ruxsarash
Molecules 2026, 31(1), 154; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules31010154 - 1 Jan 2026
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1057
Abstract
Among natural products, polyphenols have drawn special attention due to their antioxidant properties and inherent anti-inflammatory mechanisms. Within polyphenols, flavonoids are particularly important because of their availability in natural sources and promising research results in both in vitro and in vivo studies. The [...] Read more.
Among natural products, polyphenols have drawn special attention due to their antioxidant properties and inherent anti-inflammatory mechanisms. Within polyphenols, flavonoids are particularly important because of their availability in natural sources and promising research results in both in vitro and in vivo studies. The wide range of potential health benefits associated with these molecules has led to an increase in consumption, both as ingredients and extracts, in dietary supplements. Four types of flavonoids that have experienced significant attention are flavonols, flavones, anthocyanins, and flavan-3-ols, including proanthocyanidins. The increasing consumer awareness of the cognitive health benefits associated with the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties of these flavonoids has led to a rise in demand for these molecules in products that promote healthy aging. This review aims to provide an overview of these four types of flavonoids, focusing on their structure, antioxidant role, anti-inflammatory properties and potential neuroprotective effects, addressing key health priorities for consumers. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Exclusive Feature Papers in Natural Products Chemistry, 3rd Edition)
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