Bioactive Compounds in Terrestrial and Aquatic Plants: Emerging Therapeutic Applications in Human Health and Disease Management
A Special Issue of Molecules (ISSN 1420-3049) belonging to the section "Natural Products Chemistry".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 January 2027 | Viewed by 840
Editors
Interests: marine biomass; marine algae; marine organisms; bioactive compounds from natural resources; antioxidant activity; nutraceuticals; cosmeceuticals; pharmaceuticals; vegetal extracts characterization; metals bioaccumulation
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: marine natural product; isolation and characterization; analytical methods; bioactive compounds; phytochemicals; antioxidant activity; blue biotechnology; minerals in natural products; formulation of pharmaceutical/cosmeceutical/nutraceutical products
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Bioactive compounds derived from terrestrial and aquatic plants constitute a chemically diverse and pharmacologically valuable source of natural products with significant relevance for human health. These plant-derived bioactive compounds, including primary and secondary metabolites such as polyphenols, flavonoids, terpenoids, alkaloids, and polysaccharides, exhibit a wide range of biological activities. In particular, their antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and immunomodulatory effects contribute to the mitigation of oxidative stress and chronic inflammation, which are key factors in the onset and progression of various pathological conditions. Recent research has increasingly focused on natural product-derived therapeutics, emphasizing the potential of underexplored resources such as marine algae bioactive compounds and aquatic plants. These sources provide structurally unique metabolites with distinct functional properties, thereby expanding current knowledge on phytochemicals and biological activity. Their ability to modulate cellular signaling pathways, regulate immune responses, and inhibit reactive oxygen species formation highlights their considerable plant therapeutic potential in the prevention and management of cancer, cardiovascular, neurodegenerative, and metabolic diseases. Advances in extraction and isolation techniques, together with modern analytical approaches, have enabled the efficient characterization and quantification of bioactive compounds, facilitating the elucidation of their mechanisms of action at the molecular level. These developments support the translation of fundamental research into biomedical applications of plant extracts, including their integration into pharmaceutical formulations. Furthermore, the increasing demand for safe, sustainable, and effective health-promoting products has stimulated the development of innovative applications in cosmeceuticals and nutraceuticals from natural sources, where terrestrial and aquatic plant-derived compounds are employed as functional ingredients or lead structures for new therapeutics. Overall, the integration of traditional knowledge with modern scientific methodologies remains essential for the sustainable valorization of plant bioresources and the advancement of natural product-based strategies in human health and disease management.
This Special Issue invites original research contributions and reviews on the potential for the use of compounds extracted from terrestrial and aquatic plants, including marine algae, focusing on their chemical characterization, biological activities, mechanisms of action, and applications in pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, and cosmeceutical fields for improving human health and disease management.
Prof. Dr. Ticuta Negreanu-Pirjol
Dr. Bogdan-Stefan Negreanu-Pirjol
Dr. Ana-Maria Prelipcean
Guest Editors
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Keywords
- plant-derived bioactive compounds
- natural product-derived therapeutics
- phytochemicals and biological activity
- marine algae bioactive compounds
- plant primary and secondary metabolites
- extraction and isolation techniques
- antioxidant activity
- anti-inflammatory properties
- immunomodulatory effects
- plant therapeutic potential
- biomedical applications of plant extracts
- cosmeceuticals and nutraceuticals from natural sources
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