Extraction and Application of Bioactive Compounds from Medicinal Plants

Dear Colleagues,

Medicinal plants are a rich source of structurally diverse natural products. These compounds display a wide array of biological activities (e.g., antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, enzyme inhibition, neuroprotection). Despite this promise, challenges remain in efficiently extracting, identifying and applying such molecules.

This Special Issue focuses on recent advances and innovative approaches in the extraction, isolation, characterization, and utilization of bioactive compounds from medicinal plants. We invite original research and review articles on medicinal plants that explore novel extraction methods, chemical profiling, and evaluation of functional properties using in vitro and in vivo studies, as well as the application of plant extracts in variety of products. In particular, we welcome submissions specially focusing on the application of medicinal plant extracts and products in the formulation of pharmaceuticals, nutraceuticals, cosmetics, or functional food products.

Key topics include, but are not limited to:

• Cutting-edge extraction and purification techniques for the preparation of extracts from medicinal plants
• Identification and structural characterization of natural bioactive compounds
• Innovative formulations for functional food products, pharmaceuticals, nutraceuticals, and cosmetics
• Sustainable and environmentally friendly extraction approaches
• Bridging ethnopharmacological or traditional-use evidence with modern phytochemical, molecular biology and biotechnology approaches.
• Valorisation of by-products or under-utilised medicinal plant species.

This Special Issue aims to provide a platform for advancing scientific understandings of plant-derived bioactives and their innovative applications across multiple industries.

Prof. Dr. Katarina Ŝavikin
Prof. Dr. Jelena Popović-Djordjević
Dr. Jelena Živković
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.