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Research Progress for Isolation of Plant Active Compounds
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Research Progress for Isolation of Plant Active Compounds

A special issue of Separations (ISSN 2297-8739). This special issue belongs to the section "Analysis of Natural Products and Pharmaceuticals".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (10 March 2025) | Viewed by 14906

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Huaxiang Li

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Food Science and Engineering, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China
Interests: submerged fermentation; active compound isolation of edible fungus
Dr. Yi Li

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Food Science and Engineering, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China
Interests: resource distribution; classification of edible fungus

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Plants usually can be used as food and medication and have a variety of biological activities, such as anticancer, antitumor, hypoglycemic, antioxidant, antiviral, immunoregulation, chelating heavy metals,  and gut microbiota regulation. In recent years, the beneficial effects of plant bioactive compounds on health have been gradually explored and attracted increasing attention. Plant-active compounds have the advantages of being rich in resources, easy to obtain, reasonably priced, and have little or no side effects. A number of plant products have been identified as sources of healthy food supplements and drugs for numerous types of cancer in humans, and multi-omics techniques have been used to investigate the active compounds from plants. Then, many compounds, including flavonoids, phenols, terpene, polysaccharides, nucleosides, alkaloids, sterols, anthraquinones, and antibiotics from different kinds of plants are considered to possess biological activities. However, the active compounds that play a biologically active role in plants should be clarified, which is conducive to exploring, developing, and utilizing the edible and medicinal value of plants to the greatest extent. Thus, scientific and systematic methodology needs to be used to extract, separate, purify, and identify the active compounds from plants. Moreover, the biological activities of the compounds can be further verified and clarified.

Therefore, it is my pleasure to invite you to contribute your research article, communication, or review to this Special Issue dedicated to techniques of active compound separation and identification in varied plants.

Dr. Huaxiang Li
Dr. Yi Li
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. Separations 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 2600 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

  • plants
  • active compounds
  • extraction
  • isolation
  • identification
  • molecular structure
  • chromatography
  • mass spectrometry
  • nuclear magnetic resonance analysis
  • biological activity

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Published Papers (7 papers)

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Research

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15 pages, 732 KiB  
Article
Assessment of Green Extraction Techniques in the Utilization of Oak Tree (Quercus robur) and Mugwort (Artemisia vulgaris) Biomass for the Production of Bioactive Extracts
by David Villanueva-Bermejo, Diego Martín Hernández, Elvis Judith Hernández, Susana Santoyo and Tiziana Fornari
Separations 2025, 12(1), 17; https://doi.org/10.3390/separations12010017 - 18 Jan 2025
Viewed by 646
Abstract
The aim of this study was to investigate the suitability of Pressurized Liquid Extraction (PLE) and Supercritical Fluid Extraction (SFE) for Quercus robur bark and Artemisia vulgaris extraction. PLE of Q. robur and A. vulgaris were carried out at different temperatures with water, [...] Read more.
The aim of this study was to investigate the suitability of Pressurized Liquid Extraction (PLE) and Supercritical Fluid Extraction (SFE) for Quercus robur bark and Artemisia vulgaris extraction. PLE of Q. robur and A. vulgaris were carried out at different temperatures with water, ethanol and several hydroalcoholic mixtures. SFE of A. vulgaris was performed at different pressures and ethanol concentrations. The anti-inflammatory activity of Q. robur extracts, the antibacterial activity of A. vulgaris extracts and the antioxidant activity of the extracts from both materials were determined. The highest phenolic compound content and antioxidant activity of Q. robur extracts were achieved with water at 100 °C (487.97 mg GAE/g and 3741 µg trolox/g). The highest values for A. vulgaris extracts were obtained with ethanol at 200 °C (149.16 mg/g and 437.13 µmol/g). The ethanolic extract at 150 °C from A. vulgaris had a noticeable anti-inflammatory activity (inhibition of TNF-α and IL-6 secretion near basal values and inhibition of IL-1β higher than 80% at 20 µg/mL). A. vulgaris extracts obtained by SFE exerted antibacterial activity against E. coli (IC50 of 1388 µg/mL with neat SCCO2 at 15 MPa) and S. aureus (1406 µg/mL using SCCO2 with 10% ethanol). Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Research Progress for Isolation of Plant Active Compounds)
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13 pages, 3767 KiB  
Article
Unveiling the Floral Scent Dynamics of Calamondin (Citrus × microcarpa) Across Developmental Stages
by Yiwei Chen, Zhiqing Liang, Shiyu Chen, Fulong Yan, Jingjuan He, Yiwei Zhou and Ting Gao
Separations 2024, 11(12), 359; https://doi.org/10.3390/separations11120359 - 23 Dec 2024
Viewed by 780
Abstract
The calamondin (Citrus × microcarpa) is highly valued for its ornamental appeal and rich aromatic compounds, making it suitable for therapeutic gardens and widely applicable in the cosmetics, food, pharmaceutical, and perfume industries. Despite its importance, there is a lack of [...] Read more.
The calamondin (Citrus × microcarpa) is highly valued for its ornamental appeal and rich aromatic compounds, making it suitable for therapeutic gardens and widely applicable in the cosmetics, food, pharmaceutical, and perfume industries. Despite its importance, there is a lack of research on its floral volatiles. This study utilized headspace solid-phase microextraction gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (HS–SPME–GC–MS) to detect the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) of calamondin at different floral developmental stages: bud (BS), half-open (HS), full bloom (FS), and senescence (SS). Multivariate statistical analysis was employed to elucidate the aromatic characteristics. The results identified 67 VOCs across the four stages, including forty-eight terpenoids, six esters, five aromatics, four aldehydes, one olefin, one alcohol, and two others. Thirty-three VOCs were common across all stages, while BS, HS, FS, and SS had three, three, four, and nine unique VOCs, respectively. The total VOC content increased initially and then decreased as the flowers developed, with terpenoids being the predominant compounds, accounting for over 90% of the total emissions at all stages. Principal component analysis and hierarchical cluster analysis confirmed significant differences in VOC profiles at different stages. Partial least squares discriminant analysis identified five VOCs with variable importance in projection (VIP) values greater than one, including limonene, linalool, β-pinene, germacrene D, and β-ocimene, indicating their varying emission levels across stages. These findings enhance our understanding of the VOC characteristics of calamondin flowers and provide a scientific basis for further ornamental and industrial applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Research Progress for Isolation of Plant Active Compounds)
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15 pages, 3259 KiB  
Article
Structure and Activity of β-Oligosaccharides Obtained from Lentinus edodes (Shiitake)
by Wei Jia, Wenhan Wang, Yanzhen Yu, Huimin Wang, Hongtao Zhang, Peng Liu, Meiyan Zhang, Qiaozhen Li, Henan Zhang, Huaxiang Li and Jingsong Zhang
Separations 2024, 11(11), 326; https://doi.org/10.3390/separations11110326 - 14 Nov 2024
Viewed by 789
Abstract
The structure and characteristics of LEOPs, β-oligosaccharides from the fruiting body of Lentinus edodes obtained via acid degradation and gel permeation chromatography, were investigated. We performed high-performance liquid chromatography, infrared spectroscopy, methylation analysis, nuclear magnetic resonance, and correlated activity experiments, including antioxidant, immunomodulatory, [...] Read more.
The structure and characteristics of LEOPs, β-oligosaccharides from the fruiting body of Lentinus edodes obtained via acid degradation and gel permeation chromatography, were investigated. We performed high-performance liquid chromatography, infrared spectroscopy, methylation analysis, nuclear magnetic resonance, and correlated activity experiments, including antioxidant, immunomodulatory, and liver injury protection to gain insights. LEOPs comprised an oligosaccharide (Mw 2445 Da) based on six β-1, 3-D-glucose residues as the main chain and six β-1, 6-D-glucose residues as the side chain. Surface plasmon resonance analysis indicated that LEOPs directly bound to dectin-1, which facilitated their immunoenhancing activity via downstream NF-κB activation. The results implied that LEOPs may be the active unit of the shiitake β-glucan. The determination of LEOPs structure was performed to reveal the anti-tumor effect and immune-regulatory function of shiitake β-glucan on a molecular level to provide a basis. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Research Progress for Isolation of Plant Active Compounds)
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15 pages, 2405 KiB  
Article
The Volatile Compounds Composition of Different Parts of Wild Kazakhstan Sedum ewersii Ledeb.
by Tatyana Kobylina, Andriy Novikov, Gulbanu Sadyrova, Elzira Kyrbassova, Saltanat Nazarbekova, Elmira Imanova, Meruyert Parmanbekova and Bekzat Tynybekov
Separations 2024, 11(7), 208; https://doi.org/10.3390/separations11070208 - 5 Jul 2024
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1594
Abstract
The chemical composition of Sedum ewersii Ledeb., a plant indigenous to Kazakhstan and traditionally utilized in folk medicine, was comprehensively investigated, with a focus on its various plant parts. Fresh samples collected in May 2023 from the Almaty region underwent hydrodistillation to extract [...] Read more.
The chemical composition of Sedum ewersii Ledeb., a plant indigenous to Kazakhstan and traditionally utilized in folk medicine, was comprehensively investigated, with a focus on its various plant parts. Fresh samples collected in May 2023 from the Almaty region underwent hydrodistillation to extract volatile components, followed by analysis using gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometric detection, which identified a total of 71 compounds across different plant parts, including the root (underground part), root (aerial part), leaf, stem, and flowering aerial part. The predominant biologically active compound identified across all plant parts was Ethyl α-D-glucopyranoside. Monoterpenes, recognized as primary secondary metabolites, were notably abundant in each plant part, with varying compositions: the root (underground part) contained 28.58% aliphatic monoterpenes, 54.41% oxygenated monoterpenoids, 1.42% diterpenoids, and 15.59% other compounds; the root (aerial part) exhibited 1.34% aliphatic monoterpenes, 31.28% oxygenated monoterpenoids, 6.16% diterpenoids, and 61.22% other compounds; the stem and leaves showed 3.06% aliphatic monoterpenes, 21.49% oxygenated monoterpenoids, 17.99% diterpenoids, and 57.46% other compounds; and the flowering aerial part displayed 8.20% aliphatic monoterpenes, 53.18% oxygenated monoterpenoids, 23.75% diterpenoids, and 14.87% other compounds. Diterpenes, particularly Phytol, were prominently present in the leaf, stem, and flowering aerial parts. Additionally, a diverse array of organic acids, ketones, and phenolic compounds were identified across the plant parts, each potentially offering distinct pharmacological benefits. The presence of exclusive compounds in specific plant parts, such as Dihydroxyacetone in the root (aerial part), underscored the pharmacological diversity of S. ewersii. This study provides valuable insights into the chemical diversity and pharmacological potential of S. ewersii, suggesting promising applications in pharmaceutical and medicinal fields. Further research aimed at elucidating the individual and synergistic pharmacological effects of these compounds is crucial to fully harness the therapeutic benefits of this plant. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Research Progress for Isolation of Plant Active Compounds)
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21 pages, 4151 KiB  
Article
Cymbopogon citratus Water Extract and Methyl Jasmonate Improve Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid Metabolism in Taiwanofungus camphoratus Mycelia
by Yeyan Wen, Zixuan Lin, Dongmei Lin, Biaosheng Lin, Gexin Chen, Zhanxi Lin and Jing Li
Separations 2024, 11(4), 127; https://doi.org/10.3390/separations11040127 - 19 Apr 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2101
Abstract
A rare medicinal fungus called Taiwanofungus camphoratus gives people resistance to illness. In order to effectively obtain high−quality T. camphoratus mycelia, we added Cymbopogon citratus (lemongrass) water extract (LWE), which was prepared using hot water and dry lemongrass leaves and methyl jasmonate (MJ) [...] Read more.
A rare medicinal fungus called Taiwanofungus camphoratus gives people resistance to illness. In order to effectively obtain high−quality T. camphoratus mycelia, we added Cymbopogon citratus (lemongrass) water extract (LWE), which was prepared using hot water and dry lemongrass leaves and methyl jasmonate (MJ) as an additive, in order to cultivate T. camphoratus mycelia. The components of LWE were identified by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry as glucose (61.66%) and galactose (17.10%). Compare to the basal medium, 0.5–2.5 g·L−1 LWE and 5–25 μmol·L−1 MJ can enhance the proliferation of mycelia and the metabolism of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs). Among them, the T. camphoratus mycelia growth rate increased to 1.292 ± 0.01 cm·d−1 and 1.285 ± 0.05 cm·d−1, improving by 2.5 g·L−1 LWE and 25 μmol·L−1 MJ, respectively. PUFAs are mainly composed of linoleic acid (LA) and oleic acid (OA). The contents of LA and OA were 0.28 ± 0.02 mg·g−1 and 0.23 ± 0.05 mg·g−1 after MJ treatment, while the contents of LA and OA were 0.08 ± 0.03 mg·g−1 and 0.05 ± 0.05 mg·g−1 after LWE treatment. Transcriptome analyses revealed that 367 and 232 genes within MJ and LWE treatment were significantly different from the basal medium. Out of 13 unigenes, FAD2−2, SCD, and FAD2−1 had the highest expression levels according to the quantitative RT−PCR result. The bioinformatics analysis showed that three genes are closely related to the M8 chromosome of T. camphoratus, and they are hydrophobic transmembrane proteins. The identification and investigation of fatty acid genes in T. camphoratus mycelia will be improved by our findings. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Research Progress for Isolation of Plant Active Compounds)
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13 pages, 1920 KiB  
Article
Structural Characterization and Immunological Activity of Polysaccharide Degradation Products from Phlebopus portentosus
by Dan Yu, Xiaoming Cai, Shuo Wang, Yi Li, Yuguang Du, Zhuo A. Wang, Siming Jiao and Zhenquan Yang
Separations 2024, 11(4), 105; https://doi.org/10.3390/separations11040105 - 30 Mar 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1831
Abstract
Phlebopus portentosus is an edible and medicinal mushroom with a delicious taste and high nutritional value. The oligosaccharides derived from P. portentosus may be the material basis for its biological activity. The degradation of polysaccharide and the maintenance of its activity after degradation [...] Read more.
Phlebopus portentosus is an edible and medicinal mushroom with a delicious taste and high nutritional value. The oligosaccharides derived from P. portentosus may be the material basis for its biological activity. The degradation of polysaccharide and the maintenance of its activity after degradation are key steps in related research. This study applied an acid degradation method to prepare P. portentosus refined polysaccharide (PPRP) with a smaller molecular weight, and the optimal hydrolysis conditions determined were a temperature of 80 °C, an acid concentration of 2 mol/L, and a hydrolysis time of 2 h. The polysaccharide structure and immune activity were then further investigated. The results showed that the PPRP comprised two fractions with approximate weights of 61,600 Da and 5500 Da. The monosaccharide composition of PPRP was mannose, rhamnose, glucose, and galactose, with a molar ratio of 1.00: 22.24: 2.93: 1.03. The major functional groups included O-H, C-H, C-O, and C-O-C. The glycosidic bond types were mainly α- and β-glycosidic bonds. Cell experiments demonstrated that PPRP could significantly increase the proliferation of macrophages and enhance the cytotoxicity of NK cells. Moreover, PPRP also significantly promoted the proliferation of B lymphocytes and T lymphocytes, especially at a concentration of 200 μg/mL. This study furnishes scientific evidence underlining the significant potential of PPRP in immune activity, thereby serving as a material basis and scientific bedrock for further investigations into the mechanism of P. portentosus oligosaccharide activity. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Research Progress for Isolation of Plant Active Compounds)
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Review

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21 pages, 1456 KiB  
Review
Bioactives in Cocoa: Novel Findings, Health Benefits, and Extraction Techniques
by Kristina Tušek, Davor Valinger, Tamara Jurina, Tea Sokač Cvetnić, Jasenka Gajdoš Kljusurić and Maja Benković
Separations 2024, 11(4), 128; https://doi.org/10.3390/separations11040128 - 19 Apr 2024
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 6156
Abstract
Theobroma cacao L. seeds, commonly known as cocoa beans, are the foundation for cocoa and chocolate production. Following harvest, these beans undergo a multi-step processing chain including fermentation, drying, roasting, and grinding. This process yields cocoa solids, cocoa butter, and cocoa powder—all fundamental [...] Read more.
Theobroma cacao L. seeds, commonly known as cocoa beans, are the foundation for cocoa and chocolate production. Following harvest, these beans undergo a multi-step processing chain including fermentation, drying, roasting, and grinding. This process yields cocoa solids, cocoa butter, and cocoa powder—all fundamental ingredients in the food and beverage industry. Beyond its sensory appeal (flavor, aroma, and texture), cocoa has garnered significant interest for its potential health benefits attributed to a rich profile of bioactive compounds. Cocoa is a well-documented source of polyphenolics, specifically flavanols, alongside methylxanthines, phytosterols, and dietary fibers. These constituents have been associated with a diverse range of bioactivities, including antioxidant, anti-carcinogenic, anti-diabetic, anti-inflammatory, anti-obesity, and anti-allergenic properties, potentially contributing to overall health maintenance. Efficient extraction techniques are crucial for maximizing the recovery of these valuable bioactive components from cocoa plant material. Modern methods are continuously being explored to optimize this process. This review focuses on the established health benefits associated with the bioactive compounds present in cocoa. Additionally, it will explore and discuss contemporary approaches for the extraction of these bioactive compounds from this plant source. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Research Progress for Isolation of Plant Active Compounds)
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