Natural Compounds: A Lead for Drug Discovery and Development, Second Edition

Dear Colleagues,

Natural compounds constitute a vital and enduring source for the discovery of novel drug leads, offering unparalleled structural diversity and providing a foundation for the development of innovative therapeutic agents. Their remarkable chemical complexity and biological activity have inspired generations of researchers and continue to play a pivotal role in shaping modern drug discovery pipelines. As the demand for safer, more effective, and sustainable pharmaceuticals grows, natural products remain at the forefront of biomedical innovation.

This Special Issue, “Natural Compounds: A Lead for Drug Discovery and Development, Second Edition”, invites researchers to contribute original research articles and comprehensive reviews addressing all aspects of natural lead compounds in drug discovery and development. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the isolation and characterization of new natural leads, structure–activity relationship studies, chemical and biosynthetic modifications, mechanism elucidation and target identification, pharmacological evaluation, and exploration of active metabolites. We particularly welcome submissions that integrate cutting-edge analytical, computational, or biotechnological approaches to advance the discovery, optimization, and understanding of bioactive natural compounds.

Dr. Agnieszka Kicel
Prof. Dr. Ewa Skała
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.