Natural Products Drug Discovery and Their Pharmacological Applications
A special issue of Pharmaceuticals (ISSN 1424-8247). This special issue belongs to the section "Natural Products".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 August 2026 | Viewed by 806
Special Issue Editor
Interests: essential oils; chronic inflammatory diseases; lipid metabolism
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Natural-product-derived compounds obtained from plants, animals, and microorganisms are characterized by remarkable structural diversity and a wide spectrum of biological activities, often associated with favorable safety and efficacy profiles. These features have established natural products as a key component of drug discovery, and they continue to represent a rich and largely unexplored source of bioactive molecules with significant therapeutic potential. In the context of an aging global population, neurodegenerative diseases are expected to become increasingly prevalent, underscoring the urgent need for preventive and disease-modifying therapeutic strategies.
This Special Issue will primarily focus on plant-derived natural products as promising candidates for the prevention and treatment of neurodegenerative disorders, given their pleiotropic mechanisms of action and their suitability for addressing the complex and multifactorial nature of these diseases. We welcome original research articles and reviews that address recent advances in natural-product-based drug discovery. Contributions may include in vitro and in vivo experimental studies, novel extraction and screening approaches, structure–activity relationship analyses, investigations of molecular mechanisms of action, pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic evaluations, and innovative drug delivery systems designed to improve stability, bioavailability, and therapeutic efficacy. Particular emphasis will be placed on translational research bridging basic studies, preclinical models, and clinical relevance. While the main focus will be on plant-derived compounds and neurodegeneration, contributions involving natural products from other sources or targeting additional pathological conditions are also encouraged, provided that they offer clear pharmacological or pharmaceutical relevance.
The Special Issue of Pharmaceutics invites submissions related to drug delivery systems and drug design, while the Special Issue Pharmaceuticals encourages contributions centered on clinical or pathological aspects.
You may choose our Joint Special Issue in Pharmaceutics.
Dr. Rosana Crespo
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 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.
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 product
- pharmaceutical applications
- neurodegenerative disorders
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