Effect of Natural Products in the Cancer Therapy Mechanism—2nd Edition
A special issue of Molecules (ISSN 1420-3049). This special issue belongs to the section "Chemical Biology".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 May 2026
Special Issue Editor
Interests: cancer metastasis; pathophysiology; molecular biology; gene polymorphism; epigenetic drugs; epigenetics; physiology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Natural products and, in particular, plant-derived molecules, have long been a cornerstone of drug discovery and remain one of the richest sources of anticancer agents. Numerous plant-derived compounds, including vincristine, vinblastine, paclitaxel, docetaxel, etoposide, and camptothecin derivatives, are established in clinical oncology and continue to inspire new generations of therapeutic agents. These molecules often target fundamental cellular pathways, modulating processes such as apoptosis, angiogenesis, and cell cycle regulation.
At the same time, advances in phytochemistry, molecular biology, and biotechnology are enabling the identification, isolation, and modification of novel natural products with enhanced pharmacological activity and reduced toxicity. Secondary metabolites such as flavonoids, alkaloids, terpenoids, glucosinolates, and polyphenols exhibit promising chemopreventive and therapeutic properties, with many acting on molecular targets implicated in tumor initiation, progression, and metastasis. The integration of omics technologies, high-throughput screening, and synthetic biology is further accelerating the discovery pipeline for plant-derived anticancer agents.
With this in mind, we are pleased to invite you to contribute to the Special Issue of Molecules on “Effect of Natural Products in the Cancer Therapy Mechanism—2nd Edition“. This Issue will focus on the most recent advances in natural product–based cancer research.
We invite contributions in the form of original research articles, short communications, and reviews covering, among others, the following:
- Plant-derived molecules with anticancer activity and their molecular targets;
- Novel pharmacological models (in vitro and in vivo) for natural product testing;
- Advances in isolation, structural characterization, and semisynthetic modification;
- Biotechnological approaches to enhance production of bioactive metabolites;
- Mechanistic insights into chemoprevention and therapy using natural compounds.
We warmly encourage you to share your latest findings and perspectives to advance the field of natural products in oncology and to inspire innovative therapeutic strategies.
Dr. Maciej Tarnowski
Guest Editor
Manuscript Submission Information
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Keywords
- anticancer activities
- therapeutic potential of plants
- phytochemicals
- natural products
- apoptosis
- metastasis
- angiogenesis
- molecular mechanisms
- alkaloids
- terpenoids
- polyphenols
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Related Special Issue
- Effect of Natural Products in the Cancer Therapy Mechanism in Molecules (6 articles)
