Advances in Perinatal Pharmacology
A special issue of Pharmaceuticals (ISSN 1424-8247). This special issue belongs to the section "Pharmacology".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 25 February 2026 | Viewed by 3
Special Issue Editors
Interests: PBPK; pregnancy; neonate; pharmacology
Interests: PBPK; pregnancy; neonate; pharmacy
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Understanding pharmacokinetic processes during the perinatal period is critical, as both the gestational and neonatal periods are marked by profound physiological changes that affect how drugs behave in the body.
Major physiological changes that impact drug pharmacokinetics include increased plasma volume and total body water, leading to altered drug distribution, reduced plasma albumin, affecting protein binding and free drug concentrations, changes in hepatic enzyme activity, notably CYP450 enzymes that can alter drug metabolism, and increased cardiac output as well as renal blood flow, which may accelerate the renal clearance of drugs.
At birth, neonatal drug exposure is influenced by ongoing organ growth and increase in their functions, including the maturation of absorption processes, drug-metabolising enzymes, and drug-binding components, and well as blood tissue perfusions.
Several intrinsic and extrinsic factors can play crucial roles in the variability in the exposure between individuals, including genetics, comedications, and comorbidities.
Over the past decade, significant advances in molecular biology and technology in in vitro and in silico systems, from cell lines to organ-on-a-chip, together with modelling in vivo data have enhanced our understanding of perinatal drug pharmacokinetics, improving drug safety and efficacy for both mothers and their babies. For example, recent research using physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) models allows for the prediction of how these changes influence drug disposition. Likewise, the application of population pharmacokinetics allows for the description of sparse PK/PD data and overcomes the barrier of rich sampling requirements. Such progress in perinatal research enables better dose optimization and improving patient care.
Dr. Khaled Abduljalil
Dr. Raj Badhan
Guest Editors
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
- maternal
- perinatal
- neonatal
- pharmacology
- placenta
- pregnancy
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.
