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Ethnobotanical and Pharmacological Study of Medicinal Plants
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Ethnobotanical and Pharmacological Study of Medicinal Plants

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 August 2025 | Viewed by 2296

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Eduardo Luis Konrath

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre 90610-000, RS, Brazil
Interests: ethnopharmacology; traditional medicine
Dr. Mara Rejane Ritter

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Botany Department, Postgraduate Program in Botany, Institute of Biosciences, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
Interests: ethnobotany; Asteraceae; medicinal plants

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Ethnobotany is considered an important tool for the bioprospection of new drugs by the pharmaceutical industry, and interest in it has increased dramatically over the years. The discovery of new herbal medicines and bioactive molecules based on traditional knowledge is an efficient approach to obtain both pharmacological and toxicological information from medicinal plants, in addition to preserving the cultural identity of communities and providing elements for their rational and sustainable use.

The scientific validation of plant-based preparations used in folk medicine worldwide for the treatment of various diseases may involve preclinical and clinical studies. To date, only a few studies have fully investigated the chemical and pharmacological properties of traditional drug remedies. This special edition of Plants will highlight studies characterizing the in vivo or in vitro effects associated with folk use, plant fingerprinting, quality control, and the isolation of active substances from medicinal plants. Reviews of a specific plant family, medicinal species, or ethnopharmacological compilations of plants traditionally used in different medicinal systems are also welcome, highlighting the active compounds described and their possible mechanisms of action.

Dr. Eduardo Luis Konrath
Dr. Mara Rejane Ritter
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

  • ethnomedicine
  • ethnopharmacology
  • traditional medicine
  • drug discovery
  • biological activity
  • knowledge transmission
  • biodiversity

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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15 pages, 3066 KiB  
Article
Vasodilatory Effect of n-Butanol Extract from Sanguisorba officinalis L. and Its Mechanism
by Hangyu Jin, Jiaze Li, Shuyuan Wang, Enyi Jin, Jun Zhe Min, Gao Li, Yun Jung Lee and Lihua Cao
Plants 2025, 14(7), 1095; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14071095 - 1 Apr 2025
Viewed by 469
Abstract
The dried root of Sanguisorba officinalis L. (commonly known as Diyu) has been studied for its various pharmacological effects, including its antibacterial, antitumor, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory activities. In the present study, primary cultured vascular endothelial cells (HUVECs) and isolated phenylephrine-precontracted rat thoracic aortic [...] Read more.
The dried root of Sanguisorba officinalis L. (commonly known as Diyu) has been studied for its various pharmacological effects, including its antibacterial, antitumor, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory activities. In the present study, primary cultured vascular endothelial cells (HUVECs) and isolated phenylephrine-precontracted rat thoracic aortic rings were examined to investigate the possible mechanism of a butanol extract of Diyu (BSO) in its vascular relaxant effect. HUVECs treated with BSO produced a significantly higher amount of nitric oxide (NO) compared to the control. However, its production was inhibited by pretreatment with NG-nitro-L-arginine methylester (L-NAME) or wortmannin. BSO also increased the phosphorylation levels of endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) and Akt. In the aortic ring, BSO relaxed PE-precontracted rat thoracic aortic rings in a concentration-dependent manner. The absence of the vascular endothelium significantly attenuated BSO-induced vasorelaxation. The non-selective NOS inhibitor, L-NAME, and the selective inhibitor of soluble guanylyl cyclase (sGC), 1H-[1,2,4]-oxadiazolo-[4,3-α]-quinoxalin-1-one (ODQ), dramatically inhibited the BSO-induced relaxation effect of the endothelium-intact aortic ring. Ca2+-free buffer and intracellular Ca2+ homeostasis regulators (TG, Gd3+, and 2–APB) inhibited BSO-induced vasorelaxation. In Ca2+-free Krebs solution, BSO markedly reduced PE-induced contraction. Vasodilation induced by BSO was significantly inhibited by wortmannin, an inhibitor of Akt. Pretreatment with the non-selective inhibitor of Ca2+-activated K+ channels (KCa), tetraethylammonium (TEA), significantly attenuated the BSO-induced vasorelaxant effect. Furthermore, BSO decreased the systolic blood pressure and heart rate in a concentration-dependent manner in rats. In conclusion, BSO induces vasorelaxation via endothelium-dependent signaling, primarily through the activation of the PI3K-Akt-eNOS-NO signaling pathway in endothelial cells, and the activation of the NO-sGC-cGMP-K⁺ channels pathway in vascular smooth muscle cells. Additionally, store-operated Ca2+ entry (SOCE)-eNOS pathways and the inhibition of Ca2⁺ mobilization from intracellular stores contribute to BSO-induced vasorelaxation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ethnobotanical and Pharmacological Study of Medicinal Plants)
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Review

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42 pages, 1329 KiB  
Review
Nephroprotective Plant Species Used in Brazilian Traditional Medicine for Renal Diseases: Ethnomedical, Pharmacological, and Chemical Insights
by Rodrigo Moraes Carlesso, Yasmin Louise Ramos Cappellari, Daiana Daniele Boeff, Alícia da Costa Pereira, Elisa Schmitt Rusch, Thiago de Souza Claudino, Mara Rejane Ritter and Eduardo Luis Konrath
Plants 2025, 14(5), 648; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14050648 - 20 Feb 2025
Viewed by 1141
Abstract
The prevalence of kidney-related diseases has been increasing and has emerged globally as a leading cause of mortality, especially in developing countries where they are considered a neglected public health problem. Renal diseases are commonly progressive and may cause irreversible loss of organ [...] Read more.
The prevalence of kidney-related diseases has been increasing and has emerged globally as a leading cause of mortality, especially in developing countries where they are considered a neglected public health problem. Renal diseases are commonly progressive and may cause irreversible loss of organ function, eventually necessitating renal replacement therapy. Although different pharmaceuticals are considered for the treatment of these pathologies, the uncertain effectiveness and presence of adverse effects have generated a growing need for the development of novel nephroprotective compounds. Because many medicinal herbs are typically used in Brazilian folk medicine to prevent and cure kidney ailments, ethnomedicine may play a promising and strategic role in identifying and adding new potential molecules to the pharmacological arsenal. This review focuses on the use of plants and secondary metabolites belonging to different classes to treat renal diseases, associating the screened plant extracts with the bioactive components present in each species. Flavonoids and triterpenes are notable metabolites that have therapeutic potential. The putative pharmacological mechanisms related to nephroprotective properties are also discussed in in vitro and in vivo models, when available. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ethnobotanical and Pharmacological Study of Medicinal Plants)
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