Bioactive Compounds from Plants: Synthesis, Activities and Functions

Dear Colleagues,

Plant natural products, especially bioactive specialized metabolites, underpin a wide range of applications in the pharmaceutical, agricultural, food, and cosmetic industries. Their biosynthesis is orchestrated by complex enzymatic networks that are shaped by evolutionary history and responsive to genetic, developmental, and environmental cues. Deciphering these pathways, their regulation, and their diversification across plant lineages is fundamental to improving the yield, stability, and functionality of plant-derived bioactive compounds.

This Special Issue, ‘Bioactive Compounds from Plants: Synthesis, Activities and Functions’, aims to provide an integrated view of plant natural products from gene to molecule to application. We welcome original research and high-quality reviews that explore the following topics: (i) elucidation of biosynthetic and regulatory pathways; (ii) evolution and diversification of bioactive metabolites; and (iii) innovative applications and modes of action of plant-derived compounds in health, agriculture, and industry. Contributions that employ cutting-edge approaches in genomics, artificial intelligence, structural biology, metabolic engineering, and synthetic biology are particularly encouraged. Studies on emerging model and non-model species are also welcome.

By bringing together researchers from diverse fields, including botany, biochemistry, molecular biology, genetics, systems biology, and chemical or biochemical engineering, this Special Issue seeks to advance mechanistic understanding and foster the development of sustainable, scalable strategies for the discovery, production, and utilization of plant bioactive compounds.

Dr. Zhigang Han
Guest Editor

Dr. Qiong Yu
Guest Editor Assistant

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.