Advances in Natural Extracts for Cancer Treatment: Targeting Melanoma Cells

A special issue of Pharmaceuticals (ISSN 1424-8247). This special issue belongs to the section "Natural Products".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (22 June 2025) | Viewed by 460

Special Issue Editor


E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Graduate Program in Biomedical Sciences, Federal University of Fronteira Sul, Chapecó 89802-210, Brazil
Interests: purinergic receptors; ectonucleotidases; nucleotides; nucleoside
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Melanoma is a serious and often aggressive form of skin cancer, and the search for effective and less toxic treatment options continues to be a priority within medical research. This Special Issue will bring together a collection of articles exploring the potential of natural extracts in targeting melanoma cells, providing insights into their mechanisms of action, efficacy, and safety.

The Special Issue will include original research articles, reviews, and perspectives covering a range of topics related to natural products and their application in melanoma treatment. Papers in this collection could be focused on the isolation and characterization of active compounds from natural sources or could investigate the biological effects of these compounds on melanoma cells. Additionally, we welcome work exploring the therapeutic potential in combining natural extracts with conventional cancer therapies to enhance their effectiveness and reduce toxicity.

This Special Issue will provide a comprehensive overview of the current state of research in the field of natural extracts for cancer treatment, with a specific emphasis on melanoma. It will serve as a valuable resource for researchers, clinicians, and students interested in exploring alternative treatment options for this devastating disease. We welcome colleagues in this field to join us and be part of this Special Issue.

Dr. Margarete Dulce Bagatini
Guest Editor

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 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

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. Pharmaceuticals is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly 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 2900 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.

Keywords

  • natural extracts
  • natural products
  • cancer treatment
  • melanoma cells
  • active/biological compounds
  • mechanisms of action
  • combination therapy
  • alternative treatment options
  • skin cancer
  • biological effects

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (1 paper)

Order results
Result details
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

17 pages, 3694 KiB  
Article
Biodegradable Polylactide Nanocapsules Containing Quercetin for In Vitro Suppression of Mouse B16F10 and Human Sk-Mel-28 Melanoma Cell Lines
by Chenhui Zhao and Thomas Ming Swi Chang
Pharmaceuticals 2025, 18(7), 980; https://doi.org/10.3390/ph18070980 - 30 Jun 2025
Viewed by 244
Abstract
Background: Quercetin is a flavonoid found in various dietary sources. It is a prodrug converted by overexpressed tyrosinase in melanoma into an active o-quinone that suppresses tumour growth. However, injected quercetin is rapidly cleared from the tumour site. Method: Our study aimed to [...] Read more.
Background: Quercetin is a flavonoid found in various dietary sources. It is a prodrug converted by overexpressed tyrosinase in melanoma into an active o-quinone that suppresses tumour growth. However, injected quercetin is rapidly cleared from the tumour site. Method: Our study aimed to enhance quercetin’s efficacy through nanoencapsulation using biodegradable nanocapsules, which were tested in both mouse and human melanoma cell lines in 2D and 3D models. Results: Nanoencapsulation achieved sustained release and improved bioavailability. In mouse 2D cultures, quercetin nanocapsules (Q-nanos) reduced cell viability to 28%, compared with 46% for free quercetin (Q-only) (p < 0.05). In 3D cultures simulating in vivo conditions, Q-nanos reduced viability to 43%, showing significant anti-melanoma activity, while Q-only resulted in 72% viability (p > 0.05 vs. control). A similar trend was observed in human melanotic melanoma, where both Q-nanos and Q-only were effective compared with the controls, with Q-nanos demonstrating superior tumour inhibition (p < 0.05). Conclusions: These findings show the superior efficacy of nanoencapsulated quercetin over free quercetin. Nanoencapsulation prolonged quercetin’s bioavailability, enhanced tumour regression, and addressed limitations associated with the rapid clearance of free quercetin. Full article
Show Figures

Figure 1

Back to TopTop