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Extraction of Plant-Derived Bioactives: Impacts on Human Health and Pharmacological Applications

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 November 2025 | Viewed by 493

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Department of Virology and Immunology, Institute of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Biology and Biotechnology, Maria Curie-Skłodowska University, 20-033 Lublin, Poland
Interests: cytotoxicity in vitro; colon cancer; plant compounds activity; metastasis in vitro; 3D cell cultures Inflammation; cellular interactions
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The utilization of plant ingredients, which have demonstrated biological activity, is of increasing commercial importance in the treatment of patients and as a supportive therapy for classical therapeutic regimens. Full plant extracts and individual active ingredients isolated from them are of great importance. Full extracts demonstrate a rich palette of mutual interactions between individual substances, which show a synergistic effect, aimed at the patient's health. However, it is difficult to determine the mechanism of individual interactions. Conversely, isolated ingredients facilitate not only precise dosage determination but also the elucidation of their mechanism of action.

Plant-derived ingredients exert a multifaceted effect on organisms, operating at the molecular level by modulating signaling pathways within cells, at the genetic level, and also at the level of whole cells or tissues. By interacting with natural tissue mechanisms, they also engage with cellular and soluble components of the immune system. This is of significant importance for their pharmacodynamics and for recognizing them as factors that have a beneficial effect on health.

In this Special Issue, we invite you to present papers describing the isolation of substances from plant material, their identification, activity studies in both in vivo and in vitro systems, as well as the characterization of the mechanisms of this activity. We encourage submissions that evaluate the potential significance of the studied substances in terms of their practical usefulness and effectiveness in reducing undesirable phenomena at the cellular, tissue, and organism levels.

Prof. Dr. Roman Paduch
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • plant extracts
  • bioactivity
  • pharmacology
  • human health
  • natural compounds extraction
  • natural compounds activity
  • pharmacokinetics

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

12 pages, 1390 KiB  
Article
Preliminary Study on EGCG-Enhanced Vanadium Toxicity in Cells: Impact on Oxidative Stress
by Ewa Wnuk and Iwona Zwolak
Molecules 2025, 30(10), 2114; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules30102114 - 9 May 2025
Viewed by 288
Abstract
Environmental pollution by heavy metals (HMs) has become a serious threat in recent years due to their potential consequences for human health and life. One such metal is vanadium (V). Despite its numerous benefits—including antibacterial, antifungal, and anticancer properties—V induces cellular damage through [...] Read more.
Environmental pollution by heavy metals (HMs) has become a serious threat in recent years due to their potential consequences for human health and life. One such metal is vanadium (V). Despite its numerous benefits—including antibacterial, antifungal, and anticancer properties—V induces cellular damage through oxidative stress. Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), a potent antioxidant found in large quantities in green tea, is considered an effective protector against the damaging effects of HMs on cells. The aim of this study was to evaluate the possible effect of EGCG on CHO-K1 cells exposed to V. This is the first experiment of its kind on healthy cells. Cells were treated with V and EGCG for 24 h, either in combination or separately. The doses were selected in a preliminary stage of the experiment (V 50 and 100 µM; EGCG 0.5 and 1 µM). As part of the study, the cell viability, total ROS activity, and mitochondrial membrane potential were assessed. The results showed that at the tested concentrations, EGCG did not reduce the toxic effect of V on cells, but in fact exacerbated its adverse effects on cells. Further studies are needed to understand the exact mechanism of V–EGCG interaction in mammalian cells. Full article
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