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Plant Metabolites: Isolation, Phytochemistry, and Biological Activities

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 October 2025 | Viewed by 1525

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Pharmacognosy, Jagiellonian University Collegium Medicum, Medyczna 9, 30-688 Cracow, Poland
Interests: rapanone; embelin; polyphenols; phytochemical analysis; CNS biological activity in vivo; anti-tyrosinase activity; Ardisia crenata; quantification of plant metabolites
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

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Guest Editor
Department of Pharmacognosy, Jagiellonian University Medical College, 9 Medyczna Str., 30-688 Cracow, Poland
Interests: saponins; polyphenols; triterpenes; phytochemical analysis isolation; structure elucidation; quantification of plant metabolites; Amaranthaceae

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Guest Editor
Department of Pharmacy, University of Salerno, Via Giovanni Paolo II, 84084 Fisciano, SA, Italy
Interests: natural products; food chemistry and analytical chemistry; clinical nutrition; phytochemistry and phytotherapy; supplement and nutraceutical formulation
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Plants are one of the most plentiful natural resources of bioactive compounds. However, it is estimated that only about 15% of plant species, considered to have potential medicinal value, have been tested for their biological activity. Hence, this immense biodiversity potential of the plant kingdom is yet to be explored. Bearing in mind the variability of plant material, it is essential to define and determine the content of bioactive compounds. Although hyphenated techniques are currently widely used in the profiling of plant extracts and in determining the identities of compounds, isolation is still one of the most important steps preceding the structure analysis of chemical compounds, especially new ones. Moreover, such isolation can be further studied to reveal its chemical and biological characteristics and content in plant material and to assess its contribution to the observed activity of the extract. Thus, this Special Issue aims to disclose the most recent advances and research focusing not only on the pharmacological activity of plant-derived compounds, but also on their isolation processes, establishing the structures and determining their content in plant material. Original research works, reviews, or short communications of high scientifical standard covering the phytochemistry and pharmacology of plant metabolites are welcome. We look forward to your contributions to this Special Issue.

Dr. Dagmara Wróbel-Biedrawa
Dr. Karolina Grabowska
Prof. Dr. Luca Rastrelli
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • isolation
  • plant metabolites
  • plant extracts
  • medicinal plants
  • biological activity assessment

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

14 pages, 1658 KB  
Article
Isolation and In Vitro Activity of Sesquiterpene Lactones from Eremanthus crotonoides as SARS-CoV-2 Protease Inhibitors and Cytotoxic Agents
by Patricia Homobono Brito de Moura, Natalie Giovanna da Rocha Ximenes, Beatriz Bastos Santos, Carla Monteiro Leal, Larissa Esteves Carvalho Constant, Stephany da Silva Costa, Shaft Corrêa Pinto, Michelle Frazao Muzitano, Diego Allonso, Ludger A. Wessjohann and Ivana Correa Ramos Leal
Molecules 2025, 30(20), 4053; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules30204053 - 11 Oct 2025
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Abstract
The Jurubatiba Sandbank National Park (PARNA Jurubatiba) is an ecological reserve characterized by harsh environmental conditions, including low rainfall, high sun exposure, and sandy soil. Among its native vegetation, Eremanthus crotonoides stands out for its richness in flavonoids, phenolic compounds, and sesquiterpene lactones. [...] Read more.
The Jurubatiba Sandbank National Park (PARNA Jurubatiba) is an ecological reserve characterized by harsh environmental conditions, including low rainfall, high sun exposure, and sandy soil. Among its native vegetation, Eremanthus crotonoides stands out for its richness in flavonoids, phenolic compounds, and sesquiterpene lactones. The objective of this study was to isolate and quantify sesquiterpene lactones from this species using 1H NMR and to investigate their anti-SARS-CoV-2 potential and cytotoxicity against cancer cells. UPLC-(ESI)-MS/MS analyses enabled metabolite annotation, and semi-preparative HPLC-DAD allowed the isolation of centratherin and goyazensolide, which were identified by 1D and 2D NMR. In vitro assays showed that centratherin at 10 µM concentration reduced the viability of PC-3 and HCT-116 cancer cells by 100%, while goyazensolide had no noteworthy effects. Furthermore, enzymatic inhibition assays on SARS-CoV2 targets revealed that centratherin exhibited a lower apparent IC50 of 12 µM against PLpro, while goyazensolide was more active against 3CLpro, with an IC50 of 71 µM. Notably, the dichloromethane fraction demonstrated promising activity against both enzymes, with IC50 values of 30 µM for PLpro and 11 µM for 3CLpro. This study reports, for the first time, the isolation of goyazensolide from E. crotonoides and highlights the potential of both sesquiterpene lactones as SARS-CoV-2 enzyme inhibitors. In contrast to centratherin, goyazensolide fortunately had almost no cytotoxic effects at inhibition concentration on the cells tested. This shows that anticancer and anti-SARS effects can be separated and should have different SARs, an important prerequisite for further development. Full article
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19 pages, 1904 KB  
Article
The Composition of Volatile Organic Compounds Correlates with the Genetic Variability Within the Calypogeia sphagnicola Species Complex (Marchantiophyta, Calypogeiaceae)
by Rafał Wawrzyniak, Małgorzata Guzowska, Katarzyna Buczkowska and Alina Bączkiewicz
Molecules 2025, 30(17), 3642; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules30173642 - 7 Sep 2025
Viewed by 804
Abstract
This paper presents the first comprehensive analysis of the composition of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) present in the liverwort Calypogeia sphagnicola belonging to the Calypogeiaceae family. Based on DNA markers, three genetically distinct groups were examined: C. sphagnicola f. sphagnicola; C. sphagnicola [...] Read more.
This paper presents the first comprehensive analysis of the composition of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) present in the liverwort Calypogeia sphagnicola belonging to the Calypogeiaceae family. Based on DNA markers, three genetically distinct groups were examined: C. sphagnicola f. sphagnicola; C. sphagnicola f. paludosa; and C. sphagnicola LC. The volatile organic compounds were determined using headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME) and analyzed by gas chromatography combined with mass spectrometry (GC-MS). A total of 65 organic compounds were detected from the tested plant material and 42 compounds were identified. The chemical analysis revealed distinct VOC profiles corresponding to three genetically defined groups. Sesquiterpenes (49.91–64.21%) and sesquiterpenoids (4.99–11.56%) dominated the VOC profiles, followed by monoterpenes (0.95–4.73%), aromatic compounds (2.43–5.12%), and aliphatic compounds (0.74–1.55%). It is noteworthy that aliphatic compounds were absent in C. sphagnicola f. paludosa, whereas the most abundant compounds were bicyclogermacrenes (20.92–33.60%) and anastreptenes (6.75–14.95%). Marker compounds were selected to allow for the rapid identification of individual genetic groups. Full article
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