Natural Products and Drug Discovery—2nd Edition

Topic Information

Dear Colleagues,

Natural products are the oldest medicaments that have evolved throughout human history. They have always represented promising lead compounds for new drugs. Indeed, more than 50% of drugs approved in the past four decades are of natural origins. Natural products and their derivatives have historically made significant contributions to pharmacotherapy, especially for treating cancer and inflammatory and infectious diseases. They are now used as antibiotics, antimitotics, antidiabetics, anti-metabolites, anti-aging and neuroprotective agents, and antitumor drugs. In addition, fruits and vegetables, along with their nutritional constituents, are rich in bioactive compounds, often cited as ‘phytochemicals’, with health-promoting properties. Bioactives found in food plants, particularly polyphenols, exhibit activities that are considered of great interest in preventing and treating diseases largely present in an aging society. Thus, natural products as drug leads continue to be highly attractive, but the strategy for disease-based drug discovery must be achieved in parallel with the investigation of each natural compound's molecular mechanisms and intracellular targets. This General Topic is focused on, but not limited to the following: (1) The isolation of new active natural compounds and their structural identification; (2) The characterization, purification, and stabilization of bioactive natural compounds and their derivatives; (3) The bioavailability, enzyme inhibition, neuro-protective, anti-inflammatory, anti-proliferative, and anti-bacterial activities of natural products; (4) Biochemical and signaling pathways involved in the activity of natural compounds; (5) Different therapeutic applications of well-known natural compounds to explore new directions for future research. The General Topic “Natural Products and Drug Discovery—2nd Edition” will include original articles and reviews on in vitro or animal studies and human studies to define their efficacy as therapeutic agents.

Prof. Dr. Sonia Piacente
Prof. Marta Menegazzi
Topic Editors

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Participating Journals

Journal Name	Impact Factor	CiteScore	Launched Year	First Decision (median)	APC
Biomedicines biomedicines	3.9	5.2	2013	14.6 Days	CHF 2600	Submit
International Journal of Molecular Sciences ijms	4.9	8.1	2000	16.8 Days	CHF 2900	Submit
Scientia Pharmaceutica scipharm	2.3	4.6	1930	26.1 Days	CHF 1000	Submit
Molecules molecules	4.2	7.4	1996	15.1 Days	CHF 2700	Submit
Future Pharmacology futurepharmacol	-	-	2021	19.2 Days	CHF 1000	Submit
Biomolecules biomolecules	4.8	9.4	2011	18.4 Days	CHF 2700	Submit

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All Biomedicines IJMS Sci. Pharm. Molecules Future Pharmacology Biomolecules

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Open AccessArticle

Genome Mining of Pseudarthrobacter sp. So.54, a Rhizospheric Bacteria from Colobanthus quitensis Antarctic Plant

by Dayaimi González, Pablo Bruna, María J. Contreras, Karla Leal, Catherine V. Urrutia, Kattia Núñez-Montero and Leticia Barrientos

Biomolecules 2025, 15(4), 534; https://doi.org/10.3390/biom15040534 - 5 Apr 2025

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Abstract

Antarctic microorganisms have genomic characteristics and biological functions to ensure survival in complex habitats, potentially representing bioactive compounds of biotechnological interest. Pseudarthrobacter sp. So.54 is an Antarctic bacteria strain isolated from the rhizospheric soil of Colobanthus quitensis. Our work aimed to study [...] Read more.

Antarctic microorganisms have genomic characteristics and biological functions to ensure survival in complex habitats, potentially representing bioactive compounds of biotechnological interest. Pseudarthrobacter sp. So.54 is an Antarctic bacteria strain isolated from the rhizospheric soil of Colobanthus quitensis. Our work aimed to study its genomic characteristics and metabolic potential, linked to environmental adaptation and the production of secondary metabolites with possible biotechnological applications. Whole-genome sequencing, assembly, phylogenetic analysis, functional annotation, and genomic islands prediction were performed to determine the taxonomic affiliation and differential characteristics of the strain So.54. Additionally, Biosynthetic Gene Clusters (BGCs) responsible for secondary metabolites production were identified. The assembled genome of strain So.54 has 3,871,805 bp with 66.0% G + C content. Phylogenetic analysis confirmed that strain So.54 belongs to the Pseudarthrobacter genus; nevertheless, its nucleotide and amino acid identity values were below the species threshold. The main metabolic pathways and 64 genomic islands associated with stress defense and environmental adaptation, such as heavy metal resistance genes, were identified. AntiSMASH analysis predicted six BGCs with low or no similarity to known clusters, suggesting potential as novel natural products. These findings indicate that strain So.54 could be a novel Pseudarthrobacter species with significant environmental adaptation and biotechnological potential. Full article

(This article belongs to the Topic Natural Products and Drug Discovery—2nd Edition)

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