Advanced Research in the Chemical and Biological Characterization of Plants

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 September 2025 | Viewed by 494

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Department of Technology, Universidade Estadual de Maringá, Umuarama, PR, Brazil
Interests: phenolic compounds; fatty acids; extraction; characterization of natural sources

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The chemical and biological characterization of plants that can offer new compounds with direct applicability in industry is a relevant topic, and this Special Issue provides an excellent opportunity to disseminate the results, especially those involving the application of sustainable methodologies. Research papers involving characterization in terms of compound profile, antioxidant potential, cytotoxicity and antibacterial activity will be welcomed. Finally, it is our intention to assist and arouse the interest of researchers in the study of little explored plants. It is with pleasure that I invite you to submit your manuscript and contribute significantly to this issue.

Dr. Camila Silva
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • extraction
  • phenolic acids
  • antioxidant potential
  • antibacterial activity
  • cytotoxicity
  • sustainability

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

19 pages, 879 KiB  
Article
Unveiling Cytotoxic Bioactive Compounds from Erica carnea L.: Extraction Optimization, Kinetic Modeling, and Biological Activity Assessment
by Violeta Jevtovic, Khulood Fahad Saud Alabbosh, Reem Ali Alyami, Maha Raghyan Alshammari, Badriah Alshammari, Pavle Mašković, Jelena Mašković, Jelena Nikolić and Milan Mitić
Plants 2025, 14(11), 1679; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14111679 - 30 May 2025
Viewed by 344
Abstract
The effects of temperature, time, and solvent concentration on the yield of bioactive compounds (BCs) with cytotoxic activity against three cell lines (Hep2c, RD, and L2OB) from Erica carnea L., as well as their influence on kinetic and thermodynamic parameters (enthalpy, entropy, and [...] Read more.
The effects of temperature, time, and solvent concentration on the yield of bioactive compounds (BCs) with cytotoxic activity against three cell lines (Hep2c, RD, and L2OB) from Erica carnea L., as well as their influence on kinetic and thermodynamic parameters (enthalpy, entropy, and free energy), were investigated. The extract obtained at 30% ethanol, 50 °C, and 80 min showed the highest cytotoxic activity with IC50 values of 14.29, 13.93, and 22.23 µg/mL, respectively. The kinetics of BC extraction with cytotoxic activity was better described by the unsteady-state diffusion model compared to the Ponomarev model. The activation energy obtained was in the range of Ea = (4.92–26.57) kJ/mol. The thermodynamic parameters under transition theory at 50 °C were ∆S* = (−220.22)–(−285.15) J/Kmol, ∆H* = (2.24–23.88) kJ/mol, and ∆G* = (94.34–96.30) kJ/mol, indicating that the extraction of BCs with cytotoxic activity against the three cell lines is an irreversible and endothermic process. In addition to cytotoxic activity, the extracts demonstrated strong antioxidant activity (e.g., DPPH IC50 = 16.55 µg/mL) and antibacterial activity against multiple bacterial strains. Five antioxidant assays were applied, along with tests against eight bacterial strains for antibacterial activity. These findings suggest that Erica carnea L. is a promising natural source of multifunctional bioactive compounds with therapeutic potential. Full article
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