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Advanced Research in the Chemical and Biological Characterization of Plants
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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 2936

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Camila Silva

E-Mail Website
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

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. 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

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

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Published Papers (7 papers)

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Article
Investigating the Preservation and Utilization of the Saffron (Crocus sativus L.) Sorting By-Product (Tepals)
by Evanthia Dina, Antigoni Cheilari, Dimitra Karamani, Vasilis Mitsopoulos, Ioanna Diamanti, Nikolas Fokialakis and Nektarios Aligiannis
Plants 2025, 14(19), 2949; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14192949 (registering DOI) - 23 Sep 2025
Abstract
Medicinal and Aromatic Plant (MAP) by-products constitute a vast reservoir of bioactive metabolites with antioxidant and antimicrobial properties, offering potential for the development of high added value natural products. This study focuses on the by-product (tepals) remaining during the process of receiving the [...] Read more.
Medicinal and Aromatic Plant (MAP) by-products constitute a vast reservoir of bioactive metabolites with antioxidant and antimicrobial properties, offering potential for the development of high added value natural products. This study focuses on the by-product (tepals) remaining during the process of receiving the stigma of Crocus sativus L. Iridaceae (saffron), which is the commercially exploitable part of the flowers. The tepals are the main part of the flowers (>95%) and are still discarded in the fields during the collection of the stigmas in Kozani, Greece. According to numerous findings, the saffron tepals are rich in flavonoids with notable biological properties, and our aim was to investigate an alternative for their management. Within this context, dry and frozen tepals were extracted at a laboratory scale through microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) and ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE), followed by adsorption resin technology (ART) for the preparation of enriched extracts. Furthermore, their HPTLC profiling, the phenolic (TPC) and flavonoid (TFC) content, and the free-radical-scavenging (DPPH) and anti-tyrosinase activity were evaluated. The frozen tepals were further extracted at a pilot scale using MAE and maceration (Mc) techniques, followed by ART treatment to remove the contained sugars. The enriched extract produced at a pilot scale using MAE and ART sequentially is characterized by a high phenolic (147.2 mg GAE/g dry extract) and flavonoid (114.8 mg QUE/g dry extract) load. These findings demonstrate that saffron tepals, traditionally considered waste, can serve as a valuable raw material for producing extracts rich in phenolic derivatives, particularly flavonoids and anthocyanins. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Research in the Chemical and Biological Characterization of Plants)
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25 pages, 3893 KB  
Article
Substrates in Organic Mint Cultivation: Growth, Phytochemistry and Biological Activities
by Gilcielen de Oliveira Carreiro, Hélida Mara Magalhães, Mariana Moraes Pinc, Silvia Graciele Hulse de Souza, Zilda Cristiani Gazim, Gabriela Catuzo Canonico Silva, José Eduardo Gonçalves and Odair Alberton
Plants 2025, 14(18), 2886; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14182886 - 17 Sep 2025
Viewed by 215
Abstract
Mentha piperita is an essential oil (EO)-producing species with high commercial relevance. Its EOs are widely used in the pharmaceutical, fragrance, food and cosmetic industries. This study evaluated alternative substrates to industrial fertilizers, aiming to enhance plant development and EO yield while reducing [...] Read more.
Mentha piperita is an essential oil (EO)-producing species with high commercial relevance. Its EOs are widely used in the pharmaceutical, fragrance, food and cosmetic industries. This study evaluated alternative substrates to industrial fertilizers, aiming to enhance plant development and EO yield while reducing environmental impact and costs. Three treatments were tested: corrected soil (CS), soil with vermiculite, vermicompost, and rock powder (SVR), and soil with bovine manure (SM). Growth parameters, macro- and micronutrient content, antioxidant and enzymatic activity (PAL), EO yield, and chemical composition were assessed. The SM treatment resulted in the highest fresh and dry biomass, nitrogen content, and PAL. The SVR treatment showed higher potassium levels, shoot/root ratio, and arylsulfatase activity. EO yield was similar across treatments, but SM had the highest carvone content (74.18%). Anthocyanin concentration was higher in SM, whereas antioxidant activity, assessed by DPPH and β-carotene assays, was greater in CS (3.98% and 96.25%, respectively) and SVR (2.96% and 98.59%, respectively). CS also exhibited higher phenolic content (687.65 mg GAE 100 g−1). Overall, CS and SVR enhanced antioxidant potential; however, considering biomass productivity, the use of bovine manure (SM) demonstrated greater potential, making it a more advantageous and sustainable alternative for M. piperita cultivation compared to the other treatments. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Research in the Chemical and Biological Characterization of Plants)
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16 pages, 1438 KB  
Article
Cytotoxic Activity of Chemical Constituents of Clerodendrum glabrum and Combretum nelsonii Root Extracts Against Selected Cancer Cell Lines
by Kopelo V. Mabunda, Douglas Kemboi, Ibukun M. Famuyide, Lyndy J. McGaw, Ntebogeng S. Mokgalaka-Fleischmann and Vuyelwa Jacqueline Tembu
Plants 2025, 14(18), 2832; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14182832 - 11 Sep 2025
Viewed by 328
Abstract
Breast and colon cancers are leading causes of death worldwide. There is a need for improved treatment strategies. South African medicinal plants, including Clerodendrum glabrum (C. glabrum) and Combretum nelsonii (C. nelsonii), are known for their cytotoxic properties. This [...] Read more.
Breast and colon cancers are leading causes of death worldwide. There is a need for improved treatment strategies. South African medicinal plants, including Clerodendrum glabrum (C. glabrum) and Combretum nelsonii (C. nelsonii), are known for their cytotoxic properties. This study aimed to isolate and characterize terpenoids and stilbenes from the roots of C. glabrum and C. nelsonii and evaluate their anticancer potential against colorectal adenocarcinoma (Caco-2) and hormone receptor-positive breast cancer (MCF-7) cell lines. Spectroscopic techniques including nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR) were used to characterize the isolated compounds. Repeated column chromatography of C. glabrum extract led to the isolation of ferruginol (1), royleanone (2), and β-amyrin palmitate (3). C. nelsonii extract afforded combretastatin A-1 (4), a mixture of combretastatin A-1-2′-O-β-D-glucopyranoside (5a) and combretastatin B-1-2′-O-β-D-glucopyranoside (5b). Compounds 1, 2, 4, 5a, and 5b were isolated for the first time from the plant species. C. glabrum extract showed good anticancer properties with LC50 of 1.30 × 103 µg/mL (CaCo-2) and 2790 µg/mL (MCF-7). Compound (1) exhibited high toxicity against the Caco-2 at LC50 of 24.3 µg/mL and moderate activity against MCF-7 at 48.4 µg/mL. Compound (4) and the mixture (5a and 5b) showed moderate activity against the MCF-7 at LC50 72.0 and 44.1 µg/mL, respectively. These findings highlight C. glabrum and C. nelsonii as promising sources of anticancer lead compounds. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Research in the Chemical and Biological Characterization of Plants)
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16 pages, 2076 KB  
Article
Interspecific and Environmental Influence on the Foliar Metabolomes of Mitragyna Species Through Recursive OPLSDA Modeling
by Tushar Andriyas, Nisa Leksungnoen, Suwimon Uthairatsamee, Chatchai Ngernsaengsaruay and Sanyogita Andriyas
Plants 2025, 14(17), 2721; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14172721 - 1 Sep 2025
Viewed by 536
Abstract
Understanding interspecific and environmental influences on secondary metabolite profiles can be critical in plant metabolomics. This study used a hierarchical orthogonal projections to latent structure discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) to classify the foliar metabolomes of four naturally growing Mitragyna species in Thailand, M. speciosa [...] Read more.
Understanding interspecific and environmental influences on secondary metabolite profiles can be critical in plant metabolomics. This study used a hierarchical orthogonal projections to latent structure discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) to classify the foliar metabolomes of four naturally growing Mitragyna species in Thailand, M. speciosa, M. diversifolia, M. hirsuta, and M. rotundifolia. Using a recursive binary classification, interspecific and environmental influences were determined in multiple class separations, while identifying key metabolites driving these distinctions. Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS) annotated 409 metabolites, and through a progressive class differentiation using hierarchical OPLS-DA, M. speciosa exhibited a metabolome distinct from the other three species. However, the metabolomes of M. hirsuta and M. rotundifolia had a lot of overlap, while M. diversifolia displayed regional metabolic variation, emphasizing the role of environmental factors in shaping its chemical composition. Key metabolites, such as mitragynine, isorhynchophylline, squalene, and vanillic acid, among others, were identified as major discriminators across the hierarchical splits. Unlike conventional OPLS-DA, which struggles with multiclass datasets, the recursive approach identified class structures that were biologically relevant, without the need for manual pairwise modeling. The results aligned with prior morphological and genetic studies, validating the method’s robustness in capturing interspecific and environmental differences, which can be used in high-dimensional multiclass plant metabolomics. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Research in the Chemical and Biological Characterization of Plants)
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14 pages, 1452 KB  
Article
Characterization of the Phytochemical Profile of Halophytes (Limonium Mill., Plumbaginaceae) with Natural Deep Eutectic Solvents Extraction
by Antonio Ruiz-Medina, David J. Parras-Guijarro, Carlos Salazar-Mendías and Eulogio J. Llorent-Martínez
Plants 2025, 14(17), 2609; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14172609 - 22 Aug 2025
Viewed by 399
Abstract
Limonium Mill. (Plumbaginaceae) is a genus comprising many species, some of which are reported to possess high bioactivity and are used as food, medicinal herbs, and fodder. Here we report the use of different deep eutectic solvents (DESs) and natural DESs (NADESs) to [...] Read more.
Limonium Mill. (Plumbaginaceae) is a genus comprising many species, some of which are reported to possess high bioactivity and are used as food, medicinal herbs, and fodder. Here we report the use of different deep eutectic solvents (DESs) and natural DESs (NADESs) to study the phytochemical composition of plants of the genus Limonium Mill. Most of the organic solvents commonly used for extracting phytochemicals from plants are hazardous to health and may harm the environment. Hence, their replacement with environmentally friendly solvents, particularly NADESs, is desirable. We performed ultrasound-assisted extractions of aerial parts of Limonium species using these solvents, followed by characterization of the phytochemicals with liquid chromatography with high-resolution mass spectrometry. Gallic acid and myricetin derivatives accounted for approximately 60 and 27% of all the compounds, respectively, therefore representing more than 80% of the characterized compounds in the analyzed plants. The best extraction yield for both flavonoids and organic acids was achieved using the NADES chloride choline/ethylene glycol (ratio 1:3), improving the recoveries by approximately 20% compared to the use of methanol and methanol/water mixtures. These results indicate the possibility of replacing conventional organic solvents with more environmentally friendly ones, reducing the use of toxic solvents and improving the sample treatment. In addition, possible new Limonium plant species were studied in the south of Spain with the optimized method. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Research in the Chemical and Biological Characterization of Plants)
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10 pages, 435 KB  
Communication
Application of Sequential Extraction Using Pressurized Fluids to Obtain Compounds from Pereskia aculeata Leaves
by Fernanda Rengel dos Passos, Mônica Lady Fiorese, Edson Antonio da Silva, Oscar de Oliveira Santos Junior, Lúcio Cardozo-Filho and Camila da Silva
Plants 2025, 14(13), 1956; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14131956 - 26 Jun 2025
Viewed by 548
Abstract
The aim of this study was to use high-pressure extraction methods to obtain compounds of different classes from the leaves of Pereskia aculeata Mill. For this purpose, Supercritical Fluid Extraction (SFE) and Pressurized Liquid Extraction (PLE) were used. SFE was performed with Pereskia [...] Read more.
The aim of this study was to use high-pressure extraction methods to obtain compounds of different classes from the leaves of Pereskia aculeata Mill. For this purpose, Supercritical Fluid Extraction (SFE) and Pressurized Liquid Extraction (PLE) were used. SFE was performed with Pereskia aculeata leaves to evaluate the application of propane and carbon dioxide as solvents, and the residual biomass from this stage was used in PLE with hydroethanolic solvent. The extracts were characterized in relation to the content of phenolic compounds, antioxidant potential and content of nonpolar compounds. In the first stage, despite the low yield (1.09–1.94%) compared to PLE (16.56–19.26%), the extracts presented a high content of lipophilic compounds (squalene, octacosanol, α-tocopherol and β-sitosterol) compared to the PLE technique. The sequential extraction process benefited the greater recovery of phenolic compounds and extracts with greater antioxidant potential. Caffeic and nicotinic acids were the major compounds identified in the phenolic profile. The processes applied did not influence the protein content of the final extraction residue, which was similar to that of the in natura leaf. The results and approach demonstrate that sequential extraction is an excellent alternative for the use of Pereskia aculeata, which allows for the production of extracts with varied composition and/or extracts with greater recovery of compounds available in the plant. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Research in the Chemical and Biological Characterization of Plants)
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19 pages, 879 KB  
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 583
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
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Research in the Chemical and Biological Characterization of Plants)
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