Phytochemical Characterization and Bioactivity of Medicinal Plants: From Analytical Techniques to Therapeutic Potential
A special issue of Plants (ISSN 2223-7747). This special issue belongs to the section "Phytochemistry".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 June 2026 | Viewed by 23
Special Issue Editors
Interests: medicinal plants; fruits; propolis; isolation; HPLC-MS; biological activity; antioxidant; antimicrobial; characterization of bioactive metabolites by NMR
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
2. Center for Interdisciplinary Studies on the Nervous System (CISNe), Universidad Austral de Chile, Valdivia 5090000, Chile
Interests: metabolic syndrome; inflammation; cancer; diabetes; antioxidants; metabolomics
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
2. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires C1425FQB, Argentina
Interests: antimicrobial activity; synergism; enzyme inhibition; chemical characterization; biological activity; antioxidants
Interests: neurobehavioral effects; anxiety-like behavior; memory and cognition; experimental models (rat, mouse); metabolic disorders; natural compounds/phytomedicine; stress-induced behavior
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Medicinal plants and fruits, both wild and cultivars, are a rich source of bioactive compounds with significant potential for human health. Advances in analytical techniques, such as HPLC-MS and NMR, have enabled detailed characterization and metabolomic profiling of complex extracts, revealing phytochemicals with antioxidant, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and anticancer activity. Beyond chemical identification, the study of biological actions in cellular and animal models provides essential information on the mechanisms of action and therapeutic applications of these compounds.
This Special Issue seeks to compile contributions addressing both the phytochemical characterization and biological evaluation of extracts, decoctions, infusions, and metabolites derived from wild and cultivar plants and fruits, as well as derived products such as propolis. Topics include chemical characterization by instrumental methods such as UHPLC-MS and GCMS; the isolation and structural elucidation of known and new molecules by various spectroscopic techniques; their antioxidant and antimicrobial effects; their role in metabolic and inflammatory disorders; and their potential applications in cancer prevention and treatment. Research on the inhibition of enzymes relevant to human health, such as acetylcholinesterase, butyrylcholinesterase, amylase, and glucosidase, is also welcome. Furthermore, we especially encourage studies exploring the metabolic and behavioral effects of medicinal plants, including their influence on anxiety-related behaviors, cognition, and neuroprotection in experimental models.
Submitted manuscripts must not have been previously published or be under review for publication elsewhere.
Dr. Alejandro Tapia
Dr. Mario Juan Simirgiotis Aguero
Prof. Dr. Beatriz Lima
Dr. Mariana Rey
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 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
- medicinal plants
- phytochemical characterization
- metabolomics
- bioactive compounds
- antioxidant
- antimicrobial
- anti-inflammatory
- metabolic disorders
- neurobehavioral effects
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