Bioactive Compounds from Plants: Extraction and Characterization

Dear Colleagues,

Natural products, such as plants extract, either as pure compounds or as standardized extracts, provide unlimited opportunities for new drug discoveries because of the unmatched availability of chemical diversity. Plants used for traditional medicine contain a wide range of substances that can be used to treat chronic as well as infectious diseases. Due to the development of adverse effects and microbial resistance to chemically synthesized drugs, scientists have turned to ethnopharmacognosy.

The premier steps to utilize biologically active compounds from plant resources are: extraction; pharmacological screening; isolation; characterization of the bioactive compound; toxicological evaluation; and clinical evaluation. Characteristically, bioactive compounds remain together with other compounds present in plants. Bioactive compounds can be identified and characterized from various plant parts such as the leaves, stem, flower and fruit. It is only possible to conduct further separation, identification, and characterization of bioactive compounds followed by an appropriate extraction process. Different extraction techniques should be used in diverse conditions to understand the extraction selectivity of various natural sources.

This Special Issue aims to gather scientific papers on molecules derived from natural products that have pharmacological activities. The focus of the papers must be on the analytical methodologies, including the extraction, isolation and characterization of active ingredients in extract preparations. To date, numerous bioactive compounds have been discovered. These compounds vary widely in chemical structure and function and are grouped accordingly. Bioactive compounds may naturally be found in plants. Most bioactive compounds have antioxidant, anticarcinogenic, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial properties. Studies highlighting the common problems and key challenges in the extraction, isolation and characterization of active ingredients in plant preparations will be given preference.

Prof. Dr. Peter Masoko
Prof. Dr. Leshweni Jeremiah Shai
Prof. Dr. Ezekiel Green
Dr. Ladislaus Kakore Mdee
Dr. Stanley Gololo
Dr. Olihile Sebolai
Dr. Ofentse Mazimba
Guest Editors

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