Biological and Pharmacological Activity of Natural Products
A special issue of Processes (ISSN 2227-9717). This special issue belongs to the section "Pharmaceutical Processes".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 June 2026) | Viewed by 2991
Editors
Interests: functional foods; bioactive molecules; synergistic interaction; inflammation; oxidative stress; management; cardio-metabolic diseases
Interests: green chemistry; food science; pharmacology; organic chemistry; biotechnology; waste management
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Background
Natural products have long been valued for their diverse biological and pharmacological properties, presenting significant therapeutic potential for various health conditions. Furthermore, many in vitro and in vivo studies provide evidence that natural product-derived bio-compounds and functional dietary phytochemicals possess antioxidant, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, neuroprotective, cardio-protective, and immunomodulatory effects. Their capacity to modulate key molecular targets and signaling pathways has positioned them as promising candidates for drug discovery and the development of functional health products. Consequently, extracts from natural products and/or agri-food waste represent a valuable source of phytochemical molecules with potential pharmaceutical and nutraceutical applications.
Scope of the Special Issue
This Special Issue seeks high-quality original research articles and comprehensive reviews, investigating novel, unconventional, and original properties of plant-derived compounds, with a particular focus on their biological and pharmacological activities using in vitro, in vivo, and ex vivo assays, exploring possible involved signaling pathways and underscored mechanisms of action.
For this collection, we invite contributions that explore the following topics:
- Application of novel green technologies for the extraction and recovery of bioactive molecules with potential therapeutic effects;
- Biological and pharmacological efficacies of characterized extracts or purified biomolecules (antioxidant, antimicrobial, anticancer, antihypertensive, antidiabetic, and other activities);
- Synergistic effects of combined natural products/extracts or their association with conventional therapies;
- Impact of natural products on gut microbiota composition and its relationship with overall health and well-being;
- Development of novel formulations and delivery systems to enhance the bioavailability and therapeutic efficacy of natural compounds;
- Development of high-value formulations derived from natural products and/or agri-food by-products for pharmaceutical applications.
These topics collectively contribute to a deeper understanding of how functional products/by-products and their active components influence health outcomes, offering insights into potential therapeutic applications in the context of global health disorders.
Dr. Hassan Laaroussi
Dr. Pedro Ferreira-Santos
Dr. Driss Ousaaid
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 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.
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-anonymized peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Processes 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 2400 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
- natural products
- functional foods
- green extraction
- bioactive molecules
- bioavailability
- medicinal chemistry
- combinatorial medicine
- pharmacological activities
- health disorders
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