Toxic and Protective Compounds from Poisonous and Medicinal Plants: Toxicological, Mechanistic, Analytical, and Therapeutic Aspects
A special issue of Toxins (ISSN 2072-6651). This special issue belongs to the section "Plant Toxins".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 October 2026 | Viewed by 199
Special Issue Editors
Interests: poisonous plants for herbivorous; atypical myopathy; applied veterinary medicine; mitochondrial function in health and disease; comparative veterinary medicine; sport horses
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Plants synthesise a remarkable diversity of natural metabolites capable of exerting toxic, protective, or therapeutic effects, often in a dose‑dependent and context‑dependent manner. This Special Issue aims to gather original research articles and reviews that advance our understanding of plant-derived phytotoxins and protective or therapeutic compounds from both poisonous and medicinal species.
We particularly welcome studies addressing the following:
- Identification, structural characterisation, and analytical determination of plant toxins and bioactive protective molecules.
- Toxicological evaluation (in vitro, in vivo, in silico) of phytotoxins and natural therapeutic compounds.
- Mechanistic insights at molecular, cellular, biochemical, and physiological levels.
- Dose–response relationships, metabolic activation, detoxification pathways, and organ-specific toxicity.
- Protective and therapeutic effects, including cytoprotective, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, or chemopreventive activities.
- Profiling of toxic or protective compounds in medicinal plants, poisonous plants, herbal medicines, foods, and environmental matrices.
- Implications for pharmacognosy, phytomedicine, herbal safety, and risk assessment.
Review articles are expected to be submitted by authors with demonstrated expertise in the relevant field, as evidenced by prior peer-reviewed publications on the topic addressed. Articles and reviews related to veterinary medicine are particularly welcome.
By integrating toxicology, pharmacognosy, analytical chemistry, and mechanistic biology, this Special Issue aims to advance a comprehensive understanding on the balance between plant toxicity and plant‑derived protection.
Another goal of this Special Issue is to provide a comprehensive platform for advancing knowledge within the areas of toxicology, mechanism‑driven research, phytochemistry, and analytical sciences.
Dr. Dominique-Marie Votion
Dr. Olivia Jansen
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 double-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Toxins 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 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
- phytotoxins
- poisonous plants
- bioactive natural compounds
- medicinal plants
- phytotherapy
- phytochem-ical analysis
- pharmacognosy
- pathophysiology
Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue
- Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
- Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
- Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
- External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
- Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.
Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

