Biological Activity, Phytochemical Prospective and Bioefficiency of Plant Species

Dear Colleagues,

Traditional resources have been a boon for knowledge and provide multiple healing methods that have become beneficial in treating many diseases worldwide. Natural products have been utilized as a biological action modifier, employed mostly with regard to phytochemical studies. Continuous study over the years and the research and analysis of natural products have led to the present day possibility of isolating compounds from natural products and the formation of ubiquitous pharmaceutical products that have demonstrated upright market significance and the ability to treat various diseases. In their early days, drug discovery studies were performed via the identification of the active ingredient, either from natural resources or due to coincidental discovery. Modern drug discovery focuses on the identification and screening of compounds and their optimization in order to enhance their affinity, selectivity, bioavailability and metabolic stability; this further enhances our understanding of how infection and the diseases caused are regulated at the molecular and physiological stages, and enables us to target the specific materials based on the guided knowledge. Currently, bioactive compounds of plant origin have been, and remain, a vital source for modern drug industries. In the last 20 years, the FDA has approved one-third of drugs that are based on natural plant-based resources. Such innovations in the development of drugs based on natural products have initiated a revolutionary period. From labs to pharmaceutical industries, compounds derived or isolated from plants are employed either directly or indirectly in manufacturing various types of medicine. This is the case because the chemical synthesis of some compounds is either not possible or is not economically viable. Due to the therapeutic potentiality of natural products, the scrutinization of novel drugs and their fabrication from plant resources experience certain difficulties due to the intricacy of the molecular mixtures. Some medicinal plants take several years to grow or cannot be produced in certain climatic conditions using seeds or vegetative propagation. Plant tissue culture plays an essential role in the protection and mass production of these plants.

While in recent years the enormous progress of nanotechnology in biomedical sciences has revolutionized therapeutic and diagnostic approaches, the understanding of nanoparticle–plant interactions, including uptake, mobilization and accumulation, is still in its infancy. Deeper studies are needed in order to establish the impact of nanomaterials (NMs) on plant growth and agro-ecosystems and to develop smart nanotechnology applications in crop improvement. Therefore, it is vital to keep speed with the advancement of research in the field of plants and their biotechnological and nanotechnological applications. This current Special Issue will provide a platform for generating discussion pertaining to the recent advancements in the field of phytochemicals and their biological activities, as well as their amalgamation with advanced biotechnology and nanotechnology, in the form of research and review articles contributed by eminent experts throughout the world.

Dr. Jayanta Kumar Patra
Dr. Gitishree Das
Guest Editors

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