Plant Metabolites: Accumulation, Profiling and Bioactivity

Dear Colleagues,

Plants are very rich sources of numerous metabolites characterized by different structural features and a broad spectrum of biological activities. An increasing body of scientific evidence confirms the role of primary and secondary plant metabolites in maintaining human health and treating numerous diseases. For that reason, plant metabolites have been increasingly used in various fields, including medicine, the cosmetic industry, the food industry and agriculture.

Plants are also sources of several toxic substances. Therefore, the reliable quantitative and qualitative characterization of plant extracts must always be performed together with an appropriate toxicity assay.

The concentration of various phytochemicals in plants very often depends on the growing conditions. Therefore, by modulating the environmental factors the content of potentially toxic metabolites in plant materials may be reduced, and the beneficial phytochemicals may be accumulated.

In this Special Issue we invite researchers to contribute original research and review articles covering all topics related to the accumulation, chemical profiling, isolation and bioactivity assessment of plant metabolites. Potential topics include (but are not limited to) the following:

• Phytochemical characterization of less and more well-known plant species;
• Isolation and identification of natural compounds;
• Novel biological activities of plant metabolites;
• Effective extraction conditions of naturally derived compounds;
• Bioactivity of plant extracts;
• Plant biotechnology studies;
• Qualitative and quantitative analysis of the phytochemical profile of in vitro plant cultures;
• The influence of different conditions on the phytochemical profiles of plants and in vitro cultures;
• Plants as cosmetic and dietary supplement ingredients.

Prof. Dr. Agnieszka Szopa
Dr. Katarzyna Gaweł-Bęben
Prof. Dr. Wirginia Kukula-Koch

Guest Editors

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