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Medicinal Plants: Phytochemistry and Pharmacology Studies
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Medicinal Plants: Phytochemistry and Pharmacology Studies

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 October 2025 | Viewed by 6411

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Ain Raal

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute of Pharmacy, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tartu, 50411 Tartu, Estonia
Interests: pharmacy; pharmacognosy; phytochemistry; phytotherapy; ethnomedicine; ethnobotany; history of pharmacy
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Oleh Koshovyi

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Pharmacognosy and Nutriciology, National University of Pharmacy, 61002 Kharkiv, Ukraine
Interests: pharmacognosy; phytochemistry; phytotherapy; 3D-printing

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Plants have been effectively used in medical practice for the treatment of various diseases since ancient times. The knowledge of observations and practical use of raw plant materials and plant-originating medicines has been accumulated over thousands of years, but it requires scientific justification. Currently, much knowledge exists about medicinal plants, and plant-origin remedies have not yet been scientifically proven. In this regard, we propose the publication of scientific results regarding phytochemical and pharmacological research in plants, plant raw materials, extracts, individual plant-origin substances, and products based on them. This Special Issue of Plants aims to highlight the chemical composition and pharmacological activity of medicinal plant remedies and the creation and standardization of herbal medicines. High-quality manuscripts about isolation, identification, qualitative, and quantitative analyses of chemical compounds of plant origin, as well as in vitro and in vivo pharmacological studies, are welcome to be submitted to this Special Issue. Also, research focused on the cultivation of medicinal plants, the identification of plant material, quality standardization and control of medicinal plants and their extracts, and the development of plant-origin dosage forms correspond to the scope of this Special Issue. Study results should only describe the chemical composition of raw plant material or plant extracts without pharmacological studies; only pharmacology studies without phytochemistry will not be acceptable for this Special Issue.

Prof. Dr. Ain Raal
Prof. Dr. Oleh Koshovyi
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
  • plant raw materials
  • extracts
  • natural compounds
  • phytochemicals
  • phytochemical analysis
  • isolation
  • identification
  • pharmacological activity
  • dosage forms
  • standardization
  • quality assurance

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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14 pages, 2438 KiB  
Article
(aS)-Glucosciadopitysin, a New Biflavonoid Glycoside from the Leaves of Ginkgo biloba and Osteogenic Activity of Bioflavonoids
by Se Yun Jeong, Kwang Ho Lee, Seon Hee Kim, Min Hye Yang, Gakyung Lee and Ki Hyun Kim
Plants 2025, 14(2), 261; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14020261 - 17 Jan 2025
Viewed by 936
Abstract
The leaves of Ginkgo biloba have been used in treating freckles and effectively reducing cough and sputum in folk medicines. Recently, investigations into the correlation between ginkgo leaves and the proliferative activity of osteogenic differentiation have been conducted. However, bioactive compounds that enhance [...] Read more.
The leaves of Ginkgo biloba have been used in treating freckles and effectively reducing cough and sputum in folk medicines. Recently, investigations into the correlation between ginkgo leaves and the proliferative activity of osteogenic differentiation have been conducted. However, bioactive compounds that enhance osteogenesis or exhibit osteoporosis prevention from G. biloba have not been fully identified. Phytochemical investigation of the MeOH extract of G. biloba leaves led to the isolation and identification of a new biflavonoid glycoside, (aS)-glucosciadopitysin (1), along with five flavonoids (2–6), through LC/MS-guided isolation approach. The structure of the new compound 1 was elucidated by the spectroscopic methods, including 1D and 2D NMR analysis, as well as HR-ESIMS. The absolute configuration of sugar moiety was established through acid hydrolysis, followed by chemical derivatization reaction and the axial chirality arising from the biaryl system with substituents was determined by electronic circular dichroism (ECD) calculations. The isolated flavonoids (1–6) were tested for their effects on mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) differentiation at 20 μM using Oil Red O and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) staining. Ginkgetin (2) was further evaluated for osteogenic activity on C3H10T1/2 cells at concentrations of 1, 2.5, 5, and 10 μM for 10 days. ALP staining and RT-PCR assessed the gene expression of osteogenic markers ALP and osteopontin (OPN). Ginkgetin (2) demonstrated the strongest osteogenic activity, significantly increasing the expression of ALP (12.5-fold) and OPN (4.0-fold) at 10 μM, comparable to the positive control, oryzativol A. Ginkgetin (2) shows potential as a therapeutic agent for osteopenia by promoting osteogenesis in MSCs, suggesting its promising role in treating osteoporosis. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Medicinal Plants: Phytochemistry and Pharmacology Studies)
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25 pages, 2950 KiB  
Article
Ajuga reptans L. Herb Extracts: Phytochemical Composition and Pharmacological Activity Screening
by Svitlana Maliuvanchuk, Andriy Grytsyk, Oksana Popadynets, Taras Kotyk, Ain Raal and Oleh Koshovyi
Plants 2025, 14(2), 219; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14020219 - 14 Jan 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1300
Abstract
The genus Ajuga (Lamiaceae family) comprises approximately 300 species, which are widely used in traditional medicine for their diaphoretic, antiseptic, hemostatic, and anti-inflammatory properties, but scarcely in official ones. Therefore, the study of Ajuga reptans holds promise for developing new medicinal products. In [...] Read more.
The genus Ajuga (Lamiaceae family) comprises approximately 300 species, which are widely used in traditional medicine for their diaphoretic, antiseptic, hemostatic, and anti-inflammatory properties, but scarcely in official ones. Therefore, the study of Ajuga reptans holds promise for developing new medicinal products. In aqueous and aqueous-alcoholic soft extracts of the A. reptans herb, 16 amino acids, 20 phenolics, and 10 volatile substances were identified by HPLC and GC/MS. The assays of the main substances’ groups were also determined by spectrophotometry (vitamin K1, polyphenols, tannins, flavonoids, and hydroxycinnamic acids) and titrometry (ascorbic and organic acids). A. reptans herb extracts are practically non-toxic, exhibit hepatoprotective activity (dose 25 mg/kg) in experimental carbon tetrachloride-induced hepatitis, moderate anti-inflammatory activity (dose 100 mg/kg) in carrageenan-induced edema models, and possess significant local hemostatic (reducing bleeding time by 40.6%) and wound-healing properties (complete wound healing after 9 days). The aqueous-ethanolic soft A. reptans extract (extractant 50% ethanol) demonstrated the most pronounced hepatoprotective and anti-inflammatory effects. A. reptans extracts are capable of inhibiting the growth of microorganisms and showing higher activity against Gram-positive bacteria. A. reptans herb extracts are promising agents for implementation in official medicine as wound healing and hepatoprotective remedies after further preclinical and clinical studies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Medicinal Plants: Phytochemistry and Pharmacology Studies)
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Review

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19 pages, 2492 KiB  
Review
Exploring the Therapeutic Potential of Medicinal Plants in the Context of Gastrointestinal Health: A Review
by Antonio Julián-Flores, Pedro Aguilar-Zárate, Mariela R. Michel, Leonardo Sepúlveda-Torre, Cristian Torres-León, Cristóbal N. Aguilar and Mónica L. Chávez-González
Plants 2025, 14(5), 642; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14050642 - 20 Feb 2025
Viewed by 3203
Abstract
Medicinal plants represent promising sources for the treatment of gastrointestinal disorders because of their abundance in bioactive compounds with therapeutic properties. Throughout history, various plant species have been used to alleviate digestive ailments, and studies have revealed the presence of metabolites with anti-inflammatory, [...] Read more.
Medicinal plants represent promising sources for the treatment of gastrointestinal disorders because of their abundance in bioactive compounds with therapeutic properties. Throughout history, various plant species have been used to alleviate digestive ailments, and studies have revealed the presence of metabolites with anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antiviral, antiparasitic, antidiarrheal, antioxidant, and anticancer activities. The secondary metabolites responsible for these properties include alkaloids, terpenoids, and phenolic compounds, with the latter, particularly flavonoids, being the most associated with their bioactivities. Gastrointestinal diseases, such as gastritis, peptic ulcers, gastroesophageal reflux disease, inflammatory bowel disease, irritable bowel syndrome, and gastrointestinal cancer, are caused primarily by bacteria, parasites, viruses, and the consumption of raw or undercooked foods. These conditions significantly impact human health, necessitating the development of safer and more effective therapeutic alternatives. After an extensive literature review, several plant species with widespread use in the treatment of these disorders were identified, including Matricaria chamomilla, Mentha spicata, Melissa officinalis, Artemisia ludoviciana, Flourensia cernua, Phoradendron californicum, and Turnera difusa. This study revealed that the analyzed plants are rich in bioactive compounds, which confer their medicinal properties. However, many other plants commonly used to treat digestive disorders have been scarcely studied, highlighting the need for further research. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Medicinal Plants: Phytochemistry and Pharmacology Studies)
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