Naturally Occurring Polymers as Tools for Coping with Diseases
A special issue of Polymers (ISSN 2073-4360). This special issue belongs to the section "Polymer Applications".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 August 2025 | Viewed by 84
Special Issue Editor
Interests: protein structure and function; oligosaccharides and health; natural polymers; natural polysaccharides
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Historically, natural products have significantly contributed to pharmacotherapy. Plant-derived drugs comprise 25% of the total drugs used in therapeutics in developed countries such as the United States. In contrast, this statistic rises to as high as 80% in rapidly developing nations like China and India. This fact directs our attention to the study of naturally occurring polymers. Plant-derived polymers as non-digestible carbohydrates are gaining relevance due to their direct (immunomodulatory) and indirect (prebiotic) effects on health. In vitro, in vivo, and even in silico studies and clinical trials are strengthening the field of research into these types of molecules. This Special Issue is a call to share the scientific experiences among those studying naturally occurring polysaccharides and their implications in human or animal pathology, from the basic mechanisms to translational strategies.
Dr. Gabriel López-Velázquez
Guest Editor
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Keywords
- natural products
- pharmacotherapy
- naturally occurring polymer
- plant-derived polymers
- naturally occurring polysaccharide
- drug delivery
- wound healing
- tissue engineering
- regenerative medicine
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