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Plant Extracts in Focus: Chemical Characterization, Biological Activity, and Their...
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Plant Extracts in Focus: Chemical Characterization, Biological Activity, and Their Significance in Ethnomedicine and Practical Applications

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 May 2026 | Viewed by 4078

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Ana Alimpić Aradski

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Guest Editor
Institute of Botany and Botanical Garden “Jevremovac”, Faculty of Biology, University of Belgrade, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia
Interests: phytochemistry; biological activity; plant extracts; essential oils; Lamiaceae
Dr. Katarina Šavikin

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Guest Editor
Department for Pharmaceutical Research and Development, Institute for Medicinal Plants Research “Dr. Josif Pančić“, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia
Interests: phytotherapy; phytochemistry; ethnomedicine; phenolics; biological activity
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Mariana Oalđe Pavlović

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute of Botany and Botanical Garden “Jevremovac”, Faculty of Biology, University of Belgrade, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia
Interests: medicinal plants; plant extracts; phytochemistry; biological activities
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Ivona Veličković

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute of Botany and Botanical Garden “Jevremovac”, Faculty of Biology, University of Belgrade, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia
Interests: phytochemistry; phenolics; bioactivity; plant extracts; Rosaceae

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to invite you to contribute to the Special Issue of Plants, a renowned journal of botany.

Plant extracts are complex mixtures of secondary metabolites with beneficial properties, extracted from plant tissues using various solvents and extraction techniques. They can be obtained from both whole plants and specific plant parts. Due to their diverse bioactivities, they are widely applied in food, pharmacy, and cosmetics industries.

Plant extracts have been used for thousands of years in traditional herbal formulations. Recent research trends have enabled us to enhance our understanding of many traditionally used plants through modern techniques for the characterization of pure bioactive compounds. One or more of these compounds are synergistically responsible for the biological activity of the plant extract. To better understand the properties of bioactive compounds and their mechanisms of action, they should be isolated, identified, and characterized, before being applied as bioactive agents.

This Special Issue of Plants focuses on, but is not limited to, techniques for the isolation, separation and identification of bioactive compounds, chemical characterization and the evaluation of biological activities of plant extracts. We also welcome contributions addressing advancements in extraction methods, synergy between compounds, and innovative applications in industry, including functional foods, nutraceuticals, and sustainable cosmetics.

We encourage authors to submit both original research articles and comprehensive reviews that provide deeper insight into this dynamic field.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Ana Alimpić Aradski
Dr. Katarina Šavikin
Dr. Mariana Oalđe Pavlović
Dr. Ivona Veličković
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

  • plant extract
  • extraction
  • chemical characterization
  • bioactive compounds
  • biological activity
  • ethnomedicine
  • natural products
  • standardization

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

33 pages, 2775 KiB  
Article
Phytochemical Profile and Biological Activities of Rtanj’s Hypericum perforatum Infusion Tea and Methanolic Extracts: Insights from LC-MS/MS and HPTLC–Bioautography
by Sofija Kilibarda, Marko D. Jović, Danijel D. Milinčić, Sandra Vuković, Jelena Đ. Trifković, Mirjana B. Pešić and Aleksandar Ž. Kostić
Plants 2025, 14(9), 1377; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14091377 - 1 May 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 900
Abstract
This study aimed to examine wild-growing Hypericum perforatum L. tea (Hyperici herba) collected from Rtanj Mountain (Serbia). This research includes the following approaches: phytochemical and antioxidant characterization of H. perforatum infusion tea to determine its realistic composition (What do we consume [...] Read more.
This study aimed to examine wild-growing Hypericum perforatum L. tea (Hyperici herba) collected from Rtanj Mountain (Serbia). This research includes the following approaches: phytochemical and antioxidant characterization of H. perforatum infusion tea to determine its realistic composition (What do we consume when drinking the tea?), as well as a detailed examination of methanol(ic) extracts as the optimal extraction system. Due to the broad spectrum of both polar and nonpolar metabolites, 80% methanolic and pure methanol extracts were prepared for ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UHPLC Q-ToF) characterization through untargeted metabolomics analysis. Given the high diversity of compounds identified, the 80% methanolic extract was selected for further antioxidant examination and bioautographic characterization, including an antimicrobial activity assessment. UHPLC Q-ToF analysis identified 35 phenolics in the methanolic extract, compared to 25 metabolites in the infusion tea. The main differences were observed in flavonol/flavan-3-ol aglycones, xantones, and coumestans, which are more nonpolar compounds found only in the methanol(ic) system. Notably, specific H. perforatum metabolites were entirely absent in the infusion tea. Specifically, pseudohypericin, pseudoprotohypricin, and adhyperfirin were detected in the pure methanol extract, whereas hyperfirin was present in both methanol(ic) extracts. Additionally, eight furano-polycyclic polyprenylated acilphloroglucinols (FPPAPs) were identified in the methanol(ic) extracts as possible products of the thermal degradation and/or oxidation of hypericin/hyperforin. Both the infusion tea and methanolic extracts exhibited excellent antioxidant properties, with variations depending on the applied assay. High-performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC) analysis also confirmed the presence of a wide spectrum of phytochemical classes. Bioautography confirmed a promising activity of methanolic extracts against both Staphylococcus aureus and Klebsiella pneumoniae. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Extracts in Focus: Chemical Characterization, Biological Activity, and Their Significance in Ethnomedicine and Practical Applications)
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20 pages, 322 KiB  
Article
Antioxidant, Enzyme-Inhibitory and Antimicrobial Activity of Underutilized Wheat and Maize Crop Residues
by Stevan Samardžić, Ivona Veličković, Marina T. Milenković, Jelena Arsenijević, Djordje Medarević and Zoran Maksimović
Plants 2025, 14(3), 346; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14030346 - 24 Jan 2025
Viewed by 1393
Abstract
Global wheat and maize production, which reached two billion tonnes in 2021, generates significant agricultural waste with largely untapped potential. This study investigates the bioactive properties of ethanol extracts from wheat and maize harvest residues, their ethyl acetate fractions, and their principal compounds. [...] Read more.
Global wheat and maize production, which reached two billion tonnes in 2021, generates significant agricultural waste with largely untapped potential. This study investigates the bioactive properties of ethanol extracts from wheat and maize harvest residues, their ethyl acetate fractions, and their principal compounds. In vitro assays (DPPH, ABTS, FRAP, and TRC) revealed variable antioxidant capacities among the samples, with ferulic acid demonstrating the strongest free-radical scavenging and reducing effects, often surpassing those of standard antioxidant controls. Enzyme inhibition assays identified the flavonoid tricin as the most effective inhibitor of α-glucosidase, acetylcholinesterase, and butyrylcholinesterase, while the flavonolignan mixture of salcolins A and B showed the highest inhibitory activity against α-amylase and tyrosinase. Antimicrobial testing using the broth microdilution method resulted in minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) ranging from 31.25 µg/mL to >1000 µg/mL. Gram-positive bacteria showed the highest susceptibility, Candida albicans exhibited variable sensitivity, and Gram-negative bacteria were resistant in the tested concentration range. Bioactivity increased in the order of extracts, fractions, and then individual compounds. These findings suggest that wheat and maize residues possess notable bioactive properties, highlighting their potential as sources of valuable and pharmacologically active compounds. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Extracts in Focus: Chemical Characterization, Biological Activity, and Their Significance in Ethnomedicine and Practical Applications)
24 pages, 2461 KiB  
Article
A Comparative UPLC/HRMS Molecular Networking-Enhanced Study on the Phenolic Profiles and Bioactivities of Three Medicinally Significant Species of Onosma (Boraginaceae)
by Evgenia Panou, Gokhan Zengin, Nikola Milic, Christos Ganos, Konstantia Graikou and Ioanna Chinou
Plants 2024, 13(24), 3468; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants13243468 - 11 Dec 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1217
Abstract
The current work represents a comparative study of the phenolic profiles of three under-explored Onosma (Boraginaceae) species from Greece—Onosma leptantha (OL), Onosma erecta (OE), and Onosma graeca (OG). Although Onosma spp. have ethnopharmacological significance, previous phytochemical studies have focused primarily on roots. [...] Read more.
The current work represents a comparative study of the phenolic profiles of three under-explored Onosma (Boraginaceae) species from Greece—Onosma leptantha (OL), Onosma erecta (OE), and Onosma graeca (OG). Although Onosma spp. have ethnopharmacological significance, previous phytochemical studies have focused primarily on roots. Methanolic extracts of the aerial parts were analyzed using qualitative LC-MS enhanced by molecular networking-based dereplication, annotating 94 phenolics categorized into hydroxybenzoic acids (7), hydroxycinnamic acids (24), lignans (14), neolignans (14), stilbenes (4), coumarins (5), and flavonoids (26). OG exhibited the broadest distribution of flavonoid glycosides. OL contained the greatest number of hydroxycinnamic and neolignan derivatives, and OE was notably abundant in lignans. Total phenolic (TPC) and total flavonoid (TFC) contents were quantified, and the antioxidant capacity and enzyme inhibition against cholinesterases, α-amylase, and α-glucosidase were assessed. OL showed a high TPC (69.03 mg GAE/g extract) and strong antioxidant activity, while OG exhibited a high TFC (45.80 mg RE/g extract). All extracts demonstrated stronger AChE inhibition than BChE, with OG showing the highest AChE inhibition (2.35 mg GALAE/g). Additionally, OL was the most active against both α-glucosidase (5.69 mmol ACAE/g) and α-amylase (0.48 mmol ACAE/g). This study improved our understanding of the chemical diversity within these species, providing a more comprehensive insight into their longstanding ethnopharmacological potential. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Extracts in Focus: Chemical Characterization, Biological Activity, and Their Significance in Ethnomedicine and Practical Applications)
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