Natural Products and Their Derivatives with Applications in Health and Diseases

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue aims to provide a platform for scientists and researchers to publish original research articles, reviews, and short communications on natural products (NPs) and their derivatives with potential applications in health promotion and disease prevention.

Bioactive compounds derived from natural sources—such as medicinal plants, food, and fungi—have long played a vital role in preventing and treating human diseases. The remarkable chemical diversity and structural novelty of NPs and their derivatives continue to provide promising leads for modern drug discovery and therapeutic development. Recent advances in analytical, biological, and computational approaches further expanded their potential, enhancing efficacy, safety, and target specificity.

This Special Issue of Molecules aims to highlight recent progress in the discovery and development of bioactive natural products and their derivatives, emphasizing isolation, purification, and structural elucidation, as well as mechanistic insights obtained through experimental and computational approaches. We also welcome studies focusing on synthetic modification, structure–activity relationships, and the development of functional ingredients or drug candidates for health-related applications.

Interdisciplinary contributions bridging phytochemistry, chemistry, and pharmacology are especially welcome, as they can provide deeper insights into the mechanisms underlying the health benefits of natural products.

We look forward to your submissions. 

Prof. Dr. Jih-Jung Chen
Guest Editor

Dr. Sin-Min Li
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-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.