Extraction, Analysis of Natural Products and Their Applications in Medicinal Chemistry

Dear Colleagues,

Modern drug discovery is a complex, interdisciplinary process that combines cutting-edge computational and synthetic methods with rigorous in vitro and in vivo evaluations. This Special Issue will delve into the dynamic interface between natural product chemistry and pharmaceutical sciences, emphasizing both the traditional use of medicinal plants and the innovative techniques that are transforming drug development.

Natural products represent a substantial source of structurally diverse secondary metabolites derived from plants, animals, and microbes. Despite the long-standing utilization of this bioactive compounds in traditional medicine, their comprehensive therapeutic potential remains scientifically unsubstantiated in many cases. Concurrently, advancements in pharmaceutical chemistry, encompassing target-based design, sophisticated chromatographic and spectroscopic analyses, and computer-assisted drug design, are facilitating the identification of novel therapeutic agents.

For this Special Issue, “Extraction, Analysis of Natural Products and Their Applications in Medicinal Chemistry”, we seek high-quality comprehensive studies that integrate phytochemical analysis into pharmacological evaluations.

Possible topics include, but are not limited to, the following:

• The isolation, identification, and quantitative assessment of bioactive compounds;
• Applications of advanced analytical techniques in the characterization of complex natural extracts;
• In vitro and in vivo studies that elucidate pharmacological mechanisms and therapeutic potential;
• The integration of computational tools, including machine learning, and artificial intelligence, into virtual screening, structure prediction, and optimization for drug candidates;
• Multidisciplinary approaches that bridge traditional natural product uses and modern pharmaceutical innovation.

Dr. Hanae El Monfalouti
Prof. Dr. Taoufiq Benali
Dr. Nada Kheira Sebbar
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. Processes is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly 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.

• ioactive compounds
• drug discovery
• natural products
• pharmacological evaluation
• target-based drug design
• phytochemistry
• computational screening