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Biological Activities of Traditional Medicinal Plants, 2nd Edition
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Biological Activities of Traditional Medicinal Plants, 2nd Edition

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 June 2025 | Viewed by 1937

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Maria Fernanda Taviano

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Chemical, Biological, Pharmaceutical and Environmental Sciences, University of Messina, Messina, Italy
Interests: medicinal plants; ethnobotanical uses; plant extracts; bioactive natural compounds; nutraceuticals; polyphenols; antioxidant activity
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Rosaria Acquaviva

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Drug and Health Sciences, Biochemistry Section, University of Catania, Catania, Italy
Interests: medicinal and edible plants; ethnobotany; secondary metabolites; biological activities; oxidative stress; inflammation; cytotoxicity
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Giuseppe Antonio Malfa

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Drug and Health Sciences, Biochemistry Section, University of Catania, Catania, Italy
Interests: medicinal and edible plants; ethnobotany; secondary metabolites; biological activities; oxidative stress; inflammation; cytotoxicity
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Given the success of the Special Issue entitled “Biological Activities of Traditional Medicinal Plants”, we are launching a second edition and are pleased to invite you to make a contribution with original research or review articles.

Since ancient times, plants have been traditionally used for the treatment of several human diseases all over the world. Indeed, even today, despite the remarkable recent advances in chemical synthesis and the progress of pharmacology, traditional plant-based remedies continue to play a key role in health care, especially in most developing countries.

In recent decades, with the renewed interest of developed countries in herbal preparations and the increasingly urgent need to discover new effective drugs, traditionally used medicinal plants have received great attention from the scientific community. Although in the past, the use of phytomedicines was based on empiric experience, nowadays scientific evidence on their chemical composition and associated health benefits is essential. Indeed, numerous products derived from traditional medicinal plants have proven to be a source of biologically active compounds, many of which have been the basis for the discovery of new lead chemicals for drug development. However, despite the intense efforts, such information is incomplete or unavailable for many species. Documented ethnobotanical uses still lack scientific validation for several traditional medicinal plants, and many therapeutic properties have yet to be demonstrated.

This Special Issue aims to collect the latest findings and advances in traditional medicinal plant research, including studies on wild edible species, and their current and potential future applications for pharmaceutical, nutraceutical or cosmetic purposes. Contributions focusing on extraction procedures, chemical characterization and evaluation of the biological properties of extracts, fractions and isolated compounds will be considered. Results showing the relationship between the chemical composition and biological activity of phytocomplexes and/or isolated compounds are particularly welcome.

Dr. Maria Fernanda Taviano
Dr. Rosaria Acquaviva
Dr. Giuseppe Antonio Malfa
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 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

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

  • traditional medicinal plants
  • ethnobotany
  • bioactive compounds
  • extraction strategies
  • phytochemical profiling
  • biological activities
  • health applications
  • nutraceuticals

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Related Special Issue

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Review

18 pages, 1035 KiB  
Review
Comparative Analysis of Lespedeza Species: Traditional Uses and Biological Activity of the Fabaceae Family
by Roxana-Delia Chitiala, Ionut Iulian Lungu, George-Alexandru Marin, Andreea-Maria Mitran, Ioana-Cezara Caba, Andreea Lungu, Silvia Robu, Cornelia Mircea, Alina Stefanache, Monica Hancianu and Oana Cioanca
Molecules 2025, 30(9), 2013; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules30092013 - 30 Apr 2025
Viewed by 226
Abstract
With around 40 species spread throughout temperate and subtropical environments, mostly in East Asia and North America, the genus Lespedeza (Fabaceae) includes a variety of species that have been used in traditional folk medicine for centuries. Particularly in antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, [...] Read more.
With around 40 species spread throughout temperate and subtropical environments, mostly in East Asia and North America, the genus Lespedeza (Fabaceae) includes a variety of species that have been used in traditional folk medicine for centuries. Particularly in antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, and antidiabetic applications, Lespedeza species show notable pharmacological promise, due in large part to their high polyphenolic content. With a 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) IC50 of 20–25 µg/mL and a ferric ion reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) value of 819.5 µmol Fe2+/g, L. cuneata demonstrated the highest antioxidant activity among the three Lespedeza species. The rich polyphenolic profile includes quercetin, catechin, rutin, and special substances like lespeflorin B/C and lespecunioside A/B, which explain its efficacy. Its broad-spectrum action across DPPH, 2,2′-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS), and nitric oxide (NO) tests points to its importance for neuroprotective and anti-aging uses. Anti-inflammatory studies support its capacity to downregulate tumor necrosis factor (TNF-α) and interleukin 6 (IL-6) via nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-κB) suppression. L. bicolor has shown excellent promise, owing to its high total flavonoid content (109.2 mg QE/g) and presence of bioactives including kaempferol-3-O-rutinoside and xanthoangelol, albeit displaying somewhat lower antioxidant capacity (FRAP: 912.3 µmol Fe2+/g). In macrophage models it showed clear anti-inflammatory action. Its capacity to prevent advanced glycation end products’ (AGEs) generation ties it to possible antidiabetic and antiaging effects. Although it showed the worst antioxidant profile (IC50: 40–60 µg/mL; FRAP: 743.2 µmol Fe2+/g), L. capitata nonetheless had useful components like quercetin, chlorogenic acid, and lespedecapitoside (syn. isoorientin). Though little researched, they have modest antioxidant, nephroprotective, and anti-inflammatory action. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biological Activities of Traditional Medicinal Plants, 2nd Edition)
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25 pages, 903 KiB  
Review
Biological Properties and Phytochemicals of Multipurpose Tree Plant Hagenia abyssinica
by Varun Jaiswal and Hae-Jeung Lee
Molecules 2024, 29(24), 5871; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules29245871 (registering DOI) - 12 Dec 2024
Viewed by 1122
Abstract
Hagenia abyssinica (HA) is a monotypic tree species used as traditional medicine against various diseases and conditions in African countries. HA is also a multipurpose plant used for furniture, fuel wood, soil fertility management, and rainwater conservation, along with medicinal usage. In different [...] Read more.
Hagenia abyssinica (HA) is a monotypic tree species used as traditional medicine against various diseases and conditions in African countries. HA is also a multipurpose plant used for furniture, fuel wood, soil fertility management, and rainwater conservation, along with medicinal usage. In different in vitro, in vivo, ex vivo, and human studies, the potential of HA for different pharmacological properties, including anti-parasite, antibacterial, antifungal, antispasmodic, anticancer, anti-diabetes, antidiarrheal, wound healing, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory activities were observed. Antioxidant and anti-inflammation properties of HA may be the primary reason for the multi-pharmacological activities of HA. Initial toxicity studies and the presence of various phytochemicals, especially flavonoids, also support the therapeutic potential of HA. The diverse medicinal properties of the plant have different challenges to overcome for its development. Limited studies to decipher the molecular mechanism behind the pharmacological activity restrict the utilization of the complete potential of HA as therapeutics. Still, the compilation of phytochemical, pharmacological activities, and target pathways of HA is missing in the literature. The current review not only compiles the pharmacological activities and phytochemicals but also highlights the gaps and proposes the future direction to develop HA as a candidate against important diseases. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biological Activities of Traditional Medicinal Plants, 2nd Edition)
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