Sustainable Alternatives for Obtaining Natural Active Compounds

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue will explore innovative approaches and methods for harnessing the therapeutic potential of natural compounds while addressing the pressing need for sustainability in production processes. Natural compounds derived from plants, microorganisms, and marine sources have long been valuable sources of bioactive molecules with diverse applications in pharmaceuticals, nutraceuticals, and other industries. However, the unsustainable practices associated with their extraction and production have raised environmental and ethical concerns. By addressing sustainability challenges while harnessing the therapeutic potential of natural compounds, this collection of articles aims to contribute to a more environmentally conscious future for the natural products industry.

This Special Issue is focused on novel strategies aimed at balancing the demand for these compounds with ecological and ethical considerations including, but not limited to, the following: green extraction techniques, biotechnology-driven solutions, exploration of invasive plant species that have numerous negative ecological and health impacts, and the cultivation of microorganisms to produce bioactive molecules efficiently, replacing traditional plant-based sources. The extraction of active natural compounds from industrial plant waste materials involves recovering valuable bioactive compounds from agricultural, forestry, or agro-industrial byproducts. This practice is gaining significant attention due to its potential environmental benefits, including reducing waste disposal costs, conserving resources, and producing high-value products for various industries. This Special Issue will also examine the ethical implications of natural compound extraction and strategies to promote responsible sourcing and biodiversity conservation.

For this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome.

I look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Georgiana Nitulescu
Guest Editor

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. Applied Sciences 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.

• natural product isolation
• sustainability
• green chemistry
• renewable resources
• eco-friendly extraction
• bioactive compounds
• ethnopharmacology
• traditional medicine