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Plants
Special Issues
Bioactive Compounds in Plants: Sources, Identification and Applications
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Bioactive Compounds in Plants: Sources, Identification and Applications

A special issue of Plants (ISSN 2223-7747). This special issue belongs to the section "Phytochemistry".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (28 February 2026) | Viewed by 2900

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Francesca Pintus

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Cagliari, 09042 Cagliari, Italy
Interests: plant extracts; bioactive compounds; enzymes; enzyme inhibition; protein purification and characterization
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Sonia Floris

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Cagliari, 09042 Cagliari, Italy
Interests: plant extracts; phenolic composition; enzyme inhibition; antioxidant activity; cellular assays

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The plant kingdom represents an interesting and great source of biological activities for and isolation of several bioactive molecules. The great variability in compounds identified from plant extracts makes it possible to identify and isolate novel and structurally complex bioactive molecules with potential roles in human health and disease prevention. These compounds, which include phenolics, alkaloids and terpenoids, are known for their antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anticancer properties and inhibitory activities against target enzymes. This multidisciplinary field spans botany, biochemistry, and pharmacology, providing a comprehensive understanding of the potential health benefits derived from plant sources.

The identification and characterization of bioactive compounds involves advanced analytical techniques such as chromatography and spectrometry, which allow researchers to identify, quantify, and isolate the compounds effectively, as well as determine their structures and potential mechanisms of action. Additionally, in silico methods and bioassays are utilized to predict biological activity and assess the efficacy of these compounds.

This Special Issue will collect the latest discoveries involving plant extracts and emphasize the positive biological effects of these materials or their isolated compounds, in particular with regard to human health.

Dr. Francesca Pintus
Dr. Sonia Floris
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 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. Plants is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly 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 2700 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

  • plant extract
  • bioactive compounds
  • enzyme inhibition
  • antioxidant activity
  • chemical composition
  • biological activity
  • human diseases

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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30 pages, 2153 KB  
Article
Metabotyping of Prunus sargentii, Prunus nipponica var. kurilensis, and Prunus maximowiczii from Peter the Great Botanical Garden of BIN RAS
by Yuri G. Kalugin, Mayya P. Razgonova, Muhammad Amjad Nawaz and Kirill S. Golokhvast
Plants 2026, 15(10), 1426; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants15101426 - 7 May 2026
Viewed by 186
Abstract
Species of the genus Prunus, including Prunus nipponica var. kurilensis, Prunus sargentii, and Prunus maximowiczii, are widely distributed in the Far Eastern region, covering the territories of Northern China, Korea, Japan, the Kuril Islands, Sakhalin Island, and Primorsky Region in [...] Read more.
Species of the genus Prunus, including Prunus nipponica var. kurilensis, Prunus sargentii, and Prunus maximowiczii, are widely distributed in the Far Eastern region, covering the territories of Northern China, Korea, Japan, the Kuril Islands, Sakhalin Island, and Primorsky Region in Russia. As part of this study, the flowers of nine specimens of the aforementioned species were collected from the Peter the Great Botanical Garden of the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS), which was founded in 1714 and is one of the oldest botanical gardens in Russia. This study is the first comprehensive metabolomic analysis of cherry blossoms from East Asia, with a particular focus on the varieties P. nipponica var. kurilensis, P. sargentii and P. maximowiczii. The main objective of the work was to identify and characterize biologically active polyphenolic substances and other chemotypes in the studied plant samples. Metabolomic analysis of flower extracts from three species of Prunus: P. nipponica var. kurilensis, P. sargentii, and P. maximowiczii revealed the presence of one hundred and eight polyphenol compounds and fourteen compounds belonging to other chemical groups. Principal component analysis showed that PC1 (26.6%) and PC2 (19.0%) explain 45.6% of the total variance. A clear separation of P. maximowiczii was observed, while P. nipponica from all regions was represented by a single species, and P. sargentii showed variability. Samples from Sakhalin were grouped separately. These results suggest that species identity and origin may influence the metabolic differentiation of the plant material studied. The observed separation of P. maximowiczii from other species may be due to both species-specific metabolism and adaptation to the environmental conditions in Sakhalin. A heatmap with hierarchical clustering revealed a clear clustering of samples based on their origin and species. Samples of P. sargentii from different sources were grouped together, indicating a similar metabolic profile. Samples of P. nipponica var. kurilensis formed a separate cluster with characteristic features of compound distribution. Samples of P. maximowiczii from Sakhalin also formed a separate cluster that was not related to the other two species. This supports the hypothesis that the subspecies that grow in the northern regions have a greater metabolic diversity. It is suggested that this richness of polyphenols is due to the harsh climatic conditions and the accompanying stress factors. The flowers of P. nipponica var. kurilensis, P. sargentii, and P. maximowiczii are characterized by a high content of biologically active compounds, which makes them promising objects for the creation of biologically active supplements and the development of new therapeutic agents in the pharmaceutical industry. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bioactive Compounds in Plants: Sources, Identification and Applications)
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13 pages, 537 KB  
Article
Chemical Profile and Related Antioxidant and Anti-Inflammatory Activities of Leaf Essential Oil from Aspilia rudis Oliv. & Hiern
by Didjour Albert Kambiré, Guy Blanchard Boué, Mathieu Paoli, Ange Bighelli, Jean Brice Boti, Zanahi Félix Tonzibo and Félix Tomi
Plants 2026, 15(6), 865; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants15060865 - 11 Mar 2026
Viewed by 443
Abstract
The present study reports, for the first time, the chemical composition of the leaf essential oil (LEO) from Aspilia rudis as well as its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities. Analysis combining GC(RI), GC-MS and 13C-NMR of 36 samples identified 58 compounds representing 96.7–99.3% [...] Read more.
The present study reports, for the first time, the chemical composition of the leaf essential oil (LEO) from Aspilia rudis as well as its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities. Analysis combining GC(RI), GC-MS and 13C-NMR of 36 samples identified 58 compounds representing 96.7–99.3% of the whole composition. Statistical analyses revealed chemical variability in three clusters, each composed of samples from the same sampling site. Cluster I is dominated by germacrene D (27.2 ± 2.7%), α-pinene (24.0 ± 2.9%) and (E)-β-caryophyllene (13.1 ± 1.7%), cluster II by α-pinene (38.9 ± 2.4%) and germacrene D (19.1 ± 3.6%), while the prevalent compound of cluster III is α-pinene (51.9 ± 5.3%), followed by β-pinene (11.7 ± 1.7%) and germacrene D (10.7 ± 2.2%). The oil samples S10, S26 and S36 demonstrated antioxidant activity (DPPH: EC50 = 43.8 ± 1.0, 28.5 ± 1.0 and 38.8 ± 1.0 µg/mL, respectively; ABTS: TEAC = 17.16 ± 0.70, 23.35 ± 1.32 and 18.76 ± 0.64 µmol TE/mg EO, respectively) and anti-inflammatory activity through the LOX inhibition assay (IC50 = 34.9 ± 1.0, 32.1 ± 1.0 and 22.2 ± 1.0 µg/mL, respectively). The activities of A. rudis LEO may be related to its main compounds and thymol, all known for their various pharmacological and biological properties, and probably to synergistic effects. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bioactive Compounds in Plants: Sources, Identification and Applications)
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20 pages, 2052 KB  
Article
Inhibition of α-Glucosidase Activity and Islet Amyloid PolyPeptide Fibril Formation by Rubus ulmifolius Fruit Extract: A Potential Therapeutic Approach for Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus
by Sonia Floris, Barbara Noli, Cristina Cocco, Antonella Fais, Benedetta Era, Carlo Ignazio Giovanni Tuberoso, Valentina Masala, Franca Piras, Valeria Sogos, Amalia Di Petrillo, Antonio De Agostini, Francesca Pintus and Cinzia Sanna
Plants 2025, 14(21), 3247; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14213247 - 23 Oct 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1596
Abstract
This study examines the antidiabetic potential of Rubus ulmifolius, a shrub traditionally used for medicinal and nutritional purposes. The aim was to assess the fruit extract’s inhibitory effect on α-amylase and α-glucosidase, therapeutic targets in type 2 diabetes (T2D), given their role [...] Read more.
This study examines the antidiabetic potential of Rubus ulmifolius, a shrub traditionally used for medicinal and nutritional purposes. The aim was to assess the fruit extract’s inhibitory effect on α-amylase and α-glucosidase, therapeutic targets in type 2 diabetes (T2D), given their role in carbohydrate digestion. Considering the role of islet amyloid polypeptide (IAPP) aggregation in pancreatic β-cell dysfunction in T2D, the extract’s effect on inhibiting this process was also evaluated. Cytocompatibility and antioxidant effects were tested in Caco-2 cells, while caspase-1 activity was measured to evaluate anti-inflammatory potential. Phytochemical analysis of R. ulmifolius fruits revealed various phenolic compounds, with anthocyanin as the most abundant one. The cyanidin-3-O-glucoside accounted for 86% of all anthocyanins. Among flavonoids, the most represented ones were quercetin-HMG-glucoside and a kaempferol derivative, while ellagic acid glucuronide was the predominant ellagitannin. The extract showed significantly higher α-glucosidase inhibition with an IC50 value of 2.8 µg/mL, 32 times more effective than acarbose, and it markedly inhibited IAPP aggregation in a dose-dependent manner. It demonstrated antioxidant activity in cellular and acellular systems, without cytotoxicity. Caspase-1 activity was also reduced in intestinal cells. These findings support R. ulmifolius fruits as a promising functional food for managing T2D and preserving pancreatic function. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bioactive Compounds in Plants: Sources, Identification and Applications)
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