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Phytochemical Analysis, Antioxidant, Antimicrobial, and Cytotoxic Activity of Plant Extracts,...
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Phytochemical Analysis, Antioxidant, Antimicrobial, and Cytotoxic Activity of Plant Extracts, 2nd Edition

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 May 2026 | Viewed by 1358

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Dejan D. Baskić

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
1. Centre for Molecular Medicine and Stem Cell Research, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Kragujevac, 34000 Kragujevac, Serbia
2. Institute of Public Health Kragujevac, 34000 Kragujevac, Serbia
Interests: cell biology; microbiology; immunology; cancer research
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Nenad L. Vuković

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Kragujevac, Radoja Domanovica 12, 34000 Kragujevac, Serbia
Interests: phytochemistry; chromatographic analysis and isolation of secondary metabolites; antioxidant; antibacterial and cytotoxic activities plant extracts
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), as well as numerous scientific research, almost 80% of the world’s population relies on usage of medicinal plants in primary health care. The medicinal importance of these plants and their extracts are closely related to the presence of specific active secondary metabolites (alkaloids, phenolic compounds, flavonoids, terpenes, etc...). Many of these biomolecules can exhibit several pharmacological properties. Hence, herbal extracts often interfere with several animal organs, tissues, cells, and molecular targets, resulting in relieving (or reducing) symptoms of ailments or diseases.

The focusses of this Special Issue are on antioxidant, antimicrobial, and cytotoxic activity of plant extracts. Please note that extract-level studies must meet rigorous standards, providing comprehensive chemical fingerprint profiles (e.g., NMR, HPLC, LC-MS, GC-MS) with identified key compounds and relevant mechanistic details. We would like to invite researchers to submit its original scientific results (in the form of manuscripts, reviews, mini-reviews, and short communications) which cover phytochemistry, as well as appropriate pharmacological properties of plant extracts and their major and minor bioactive constituents.

Prof. Dr. Dejan D. Baskić
Prof. Dr. Nenad L. Vuković
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 extracts
  • bioactive secondary metabolites
  • chromatographic analysis of major and minor constituents of plant extracts and essential oils
  • antioxidant activity of plant extracts and essential oils
  • antimicrobial activity of plant extracts and essential oils
  • cytotoxic activity of plant extracts and essential oils

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

21 pages, 1280 KB  
Article
Exogenous Ferulic Acid Mitigates Flooding Stress in Broccoli via GSH-Mediated Redox Homeostasis
by Marta Frlin and Ivana Šola
Plants 2026, 15(9), 1323; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants15091323 - 25 Apr 2026
Viewed by 220
Abstract
Climate change is increasing flood frequency, exposing plants to severe stress. This study investigated the biostimulant-like effects of exogenous ferulic acid (FA; 1, 10, and 100 mg/L) on broccoli (Brassica oleracea var. cymosa) microgreens under regularly watered (RW) and flooded (F) [...] Read more.
Climate change is increasing flood frequency, exposing plants to severe stress. This study investigated the biostimulant-like effects of exogenous ferulic acid (FA; 1, 10, and 100 mg/L) on broccoli (Brassica oleracea var. cymosa) microgreens under regularly watered (RW) and flooded (F) conditions. Spectrophotometric, HPLC, and statistical analyses showed that all FA concentrations increased total phenolics and proanthocyanidins in flooded plants, while only 100 mg/L increased proanthocyanidins in RW plants. FA at 1 and 100 mg/L reduced soluble sugars in RW broccoli (18% reduction by both FA concentrations) and enhanced antioxidant capacity (measured by ferric reducing antioxidant power assay, FRAP) in flooded plants (8% and 11%, respectively). Only 10 mg/L FA lowered hydrogen peroxide in RW plants. Flooding significantly decreased glutathione (GSH) levels, but FA treatment doubled GSH concentration and restored its level in flooded broccoli, improving redox balance. FA also influenced individual polyphenols more strongly in RW plants, with notable increases in sinapic acid and kaempferol. Overall, FA enhanced antioxidant status and redox homeostasis under flooding stress, mainly by stimulating glutathione accumulation and phenylpropanoid metabolism. Its regulatory effects were strongly dependent on soil water conditions. These findings underscore the practical and agronomic potential of FA as an effective approach to enhance crop resilience under climate change. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Phytochemical Analysis, Antioxidant, Antimicrobial, and Cytotoxic Activity of Plant Extracts, 2nd Edition)
35 pages, 9106 KB  
Article
Chrysopogon zizanioides (Vetiver) Essential Oil from Qatar Targets AKT1 and STAT3 in Colorectal and Lung Cancer: GC-MS Profiling, In Vitro Antiproliferative Activity, and In Silico Analyses
by Mai M. Karousa, Haritha Kalath, Layal Karam, Muhammad Suleman, Maha M. Ayoub, Aseela Fathima, M. Angelica M. Rocha, Samah Mechmechani, Diana C. G. A. Pinto, Hadi M. Yassine and Abdullah A. Shaito
Plants 2026, 15(5), 784; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants15050784 - 4 Mar 2026
Viewed by 731
Abstract
Background: Chrysopogon zizanioides (L.) Roberty (vetiver) is a perennial medicinal grass with deep aromatic roots traditionally used for several ailments. Its root essential oil (CZEO) is rich in phytochemicals with documented antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant activities. Although its anticancer potential remains underexplored, the [...] Read more.
Background: Chrysopogon zizanioides (L.) Roberty (vetiver) is a perennial medicinal grass with deep aromatic roots traditionally used for several ailments. Its root essential oil (CZEO) is rich in phytochemicals with documented antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant activities. Although its anticancer potential remains underexplored, the complex phytochemical profile of CZEO positions it as a promising multi-target therapy, particularly for colorectal (CRC) and lung cancers where resistance and pathway redundancy often limit conventional treatments. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the phytochemical composition and antiproliferative activity of CZEO from Qatar against colorectal (HCT-116) and lung (A549) cancer cells and to elucidate its molecular targets and mechanisms of action in CRC and lung cancer using network pharmacology and in silico approaches. Methods: CZEO was extracted by steam distillation and characterized using GC–MS. In vitro proliferation assays with HCT-116 colorectal and A549 lung cancer cells were conducted using the Alamar Blue assay. The ten most abundant phytochemicals identified by GC–MS were assessed for drug-likeness and ADMET properties and further analyzed through network pharmacology, molecular docking, and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations to elucidate the molecular targets and mechanisms underlying CZEO’s anticancer activity. Results: GC-MS profiling identified 40 compounds, predominantly sesquiterpenoids (93%), including khusimol, β-eudesmol, α-vetivone, and rosifoliol. CZEO inhibited cancer cell viability in a dose-dependent manner, with IC50 values of 62.95 ± 2.19 µg/mL for HCT-116 and 167.82 ± 6.51 µg/mL for A549 cells, demonstrating greater potency against colorectal cancer. CZEO did not affect the growth of normal human neonatal fibroblasts (HDFn), suggesting potential selectivity for cancerous cells. ADMET predictions indicated favorable pharmacokinetics and low toxicity of CZEO’s top 10 abundant compounds (TACs). Network pharmacology revealed 373 and 394 overlapping gene targets between TACs and lung and colorectal cancer, respectively. The overlapping genes were used to construct a protein–protein interaction (PPI) network to identify hub genes. STAT3 and AKT1 consistently emerged as common top-scoring hub genes in both cancers. Molecular docking of TACs showed strong binding affinities of rosifoliol and α-vetivone to AKT1 (−6.20 and −5.93 kcal/mol, respectively) and STAT3 (−5.19 and −5.09 kcal/mol, respectively), surpassing reference inhibitors. MD simulations confirmed stable ligand–protein interactions and structural stabilization, particularly with α-vetivone. Conclusions: CZEO from Qatar exhibits potent antiproliferative activity against colorectal and lung cancer cells, supported by a sesquiterpenoid-rich phytochemical profile. Integrative computational analyses highlight AKT1 and STAT3 as key molecular targets, with rosifoliol and α-vetivone emerging as promising lead compounds. These findings support CZEO as a natural, multi-target anticancer agent, warranting further mechanistic and in vitro and in vivo validation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Phytochemical Analysis, Antioxidant, Antimicrobial, and Cytotoxic Activity of Plant Extracts, 2nd Edition)
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