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Chemical and Biological Research on Bioactive Natural Products
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Chemical and Biological Research on Bioactive Natural Products

A special issue of Molecules (ISSN 1420-3049). This special issue belongs to the section "Natural Products Chemistry".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 June 2025 | Viewed by 6235

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Jih-Jung Chen

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Pharmacy, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taipei 11221, Taiwan
Interests: natural product chemistry; bioactive natural products; new drug R&D; translation research; cosmetic and functional food R&D; Chinese herbal medicine biotechnology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue will provide an intellectual platform for scientists to publish reviews, original research, short communications, etc., on bioactive natural products (NPs), biological activities, and analytical methodologies in relation to natural sources (medicinal plants, fungi…), as well as related topics of interest to public health.

Bioactive natural products isolated from various sources, especially plants and fungi, have long been used to treat human diseases. Developing new drugs through natural products has long proven to be the most successful strategy for discovering new treatments. NPs have historically been a crucial source of drugs, and are still considered a beneficial starting point in modern drug discovery, providing critical contributions to pharmacotherapy in many human diseases. NPs are characterized by structural complexity and skeletal diversity; thus, they continue to be an important source of information about new drugs.

This Special Issue of Molecules aims to highlight the natural products in lead compound and drug discovery, with particular focus on the isolation and structure elucidation of new natural products, the mechanism of action, and bioactive compounds with clinical potential. Original research and reviews on the preparation and identification of phytochemicals and their physiological mechanisms in health benefits are welcome.

Prof. Dr. Jih-Jung Chen
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. Molecules 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 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

  • natural products
  • medicinal plants
  • drug discovery
  • bioactive constituent
  • biological activity
  • healthy food
  • drug and herbal medicine
  • mechanism of action

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

19 pages, 7753 KiB  
Article
Chemical and Transcriptomic Analyses Provide New Insights into Key Genes for Ginsenoside Biosynthesis in the Rhizome of Panax japonicus C. A. Meyer
by Qichun Yang, Chao Xiong, Jiao Zhang, Yue Ming, Shaopeng Zhang, Limei Wang, Hongxun Wang, Ran Xu and Bo Wang
Molecules 2024, 29(20), 4936; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules29204936 - 18 Oct 2024
Viewed by 546
Abstract
Panax japonicus C. A. Meyer is renowned for its significant therapeutic effects and is commonly used worldwide. Its active ingredients, triterpenoid saponins, show variation in content among different tissues. The tissue-specific distribution of saponins is potentially related to the expression of vital genes [...] Read more.
Panax japonicus C. A. Meyer is renowned for its significant therapeutic effects and is commonly used worldwide. Its active ingredients, triterpenoid saponins, show variation in content among different tissues. The tissue-specific distribution of saponins is potentially related to the expression of vital genes in the biosynthesis pathway. In this study, the contents of five saponins (ginsenoside Ro, chikusetsusaponin IV, chikusetsusaponin IVa, ginsenoside Rg1, and ginsenoside Rb1) in three different tissues were determined by HPLC. Transcriptome sequencing analysis identified differentially expressed genes (DEGs) involved in triterpenoid saponin biosynthesis, highlighting significant correlations between saponin contents and the expression levels of 10 cytochrome p450 monooxygenase (CYP) and 3 UDP-glycosyltransferase (UGT) genes. Cloning, sequencing, and prokaryotic expression of UGT genes confirmed the molecular weights of UGT proteins. Gene sequence alignment and phylogenetic analysis provided preliminary insights into UGT gene functions. Meanwhile, the function of one UGT gene was characterized in the yeast. These findings advance our understanding of the triterpenoid saponin biosynthesis in P. japonicus and support future research in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and synthetic biology. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Chemical and Biological Research on Bioactive Natural Products)
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14 pages, 1526 KiB  
Article
GC-MS and PCA Analysis of Fatty Acid Profile in Various Ilex Species
by Anna Zwyrzykowska-Wodzińska, Bogdan Jarosz, Piotr Okińczyc, Jakub Szperlik, Przemysław Bąbelewski, Zdeněk Zadák, Anna Jankowska-Mąkosa and Damian Knecht
Molecules 2024, 29(20), 4833; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules29204833 - 12 Oct 2024
Viewed by 590
Abstract
Natural compounds are important source of desired biological activity which helps to improve nutritional status and brings many health benefits. Ilex paraguariensis St. Hill. which belongs to the family Aquifoliaceae is a plant rich in bioactive substances (polyphenols, saponins, alkaloids) with therapeutic potential [...] Read more.
Natural compounds are important source of desired biological activity which helps to improve nutritional status and brings many health benefits. Ilex paraguariensis St. Hill. which belongs to the family Aquifoliaceae is a plant rich in bioactive substances (polyphenols, saponins, alkaloids) with therapeutic potential including hepatic and digestive disorders, arthritis, rheumatism, and other inflammatory diseases, obesity, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia. In terms of phytochemical research I. paraguariensis has been the subject of most intensive investigations among Ilex species. Therefore, we concentrated on other available Ilex varieties and focused on the content of fatty acids of these shrubs. The fatty acid compounds present in Ilex sp. samples were analyzed by GC-MS. 27 different fatty acids were identified in the extracts. The results showed that many constituents with significant commercial or medicinal importance were present in high concentrations. The primary component in all samples was α linolenic acid(18:3 Δ9,12,15). Differences of this component concentration were observed between cultivars and extensively analyzed by PCA, one- way ANOVA and Kruskal-Wallis ANOVA. Significant correlations between compound concentrations were reported. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Chemical and Biological Research on Bioactive Natural Products)
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17 pages, 4702 KiB  
Article
Study on the Bioactive Constituent and Mineral Elements of the Tibetan Medicine E’seguo from Different Regions of Ganzi Prefecture, China
by Menglian Jiang, Heling Fan, Yixuan Chen, Yulin Zou, Xiaoyang Cai, Haohan Wang and Min Li
Molecules 2024, 29(17), 4154; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules29174154 - 1 Sep 2024
Viewed by 892
Abstract
The Tibetan medicinal fruit E’seguo originates from two species, Malus toringoides (Rehd.) Hughes and Malus transitoria (Batal.) Schneid, both unique to the Hengduan Mountains. These species are predominantly found in high-altitude regions of Ganzi Prefecture, Sichuan Province, particularly in the Xianshui River and [...] Read more.
The Tibetan medicinal fruit E’seguo originates from two species, Malus toringoides (Rehd.) Hughes and Malus transitoria (Batal.) Schneid, both unique to the Hengduan Mountains. These species are predominantly found in high-altitude regions of Ganzi Prefecture, Sichuan Province, particularly in the Xianshui River and Yalong River basins. Malus toringoides (Rehd.) Hughes is far more abundant in both resource quantity and distribution compared to Malus transitoria (Batal.) Schneid. However, the nutritional and medicinal differences between the two remain unclear, which significantly impacts the development and utilization of E’seguo resources. This study aimed to measure the mineral content, nutritional components, and medicinal properties of E’seguo from 12 different regions of Ganzi Prefecture to explore the quality differences between these two species and across different regions. ICP-MS (Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry) was used to determine the mineral content, ultraviolet-visible spectrophotometry and potentiometric titration to analyze nutritional indicators, and HPLC (High-Performance Liquid Chromatography) to measure the medicinal components L-malic acid and 2-O-β-D-glucopyranosyl-L-ascorbic acid (AA-2βG). Results indicate that Malus transitoria (Batal.) Schneid contains higher levels of K, Ca, Zn, Mg, and Cu compared to Malus toringoides (Rehd.) Hughes, which has higher Fe and Mn content. Malus toringoides (Rehd.) Hughes from the Kangding and Litang regions showed the highest mineral content, with mineral elements primarily influencing polysaccharide levels, according to Mantel analysis. Nutritional and medicinal analyses revealed that Malus toringoides (Rehd.) Hughes outperformed Malus transitoria (Batal.) Schneid in all metrics except for the sugar-acid ratio. Given the mineral content and taste, Malus transitoria (Batal.) Schneid is better suited for consumption, while Malus toringoides (Rehd.) Hughes has superior medicinal properties, making it more appropriate for medicinal use. In the Malus transitoria (Batal.) Schneid regions, both Luhuo and Daofu are in the Xianshui River basin, with Daofu County producing the higher quality fruit. Among the nine Malus toringoides (Rehd.) Hughes regions, the M10 (Tuoba Township, Ganzi County) near the Yalong River had the highest overall score, followed by M7 (Yade Township, Luhuo County) and M6 (Keke, Xiala Tuo Town, Luhuo County), both of which are near the Xianshui River. In summary, Malus transitoria (Batal.) Schneid generally has higher mineral content, but Malus toringoides (Rehd.) Hughes has larger fruit and higher medicinal value, making the latter more suitable as a medicinal resource. At the same time, the medicinal quality of Xianshui River fruit was higher in the two watersheds of Malus toringoides (Rehd.) Hughes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Chemical and Biological Research on Bioactive Natural Products)
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20 pages, 2359 KiB  
Article
Antiviral and Cytotoxic Activities of Ilex aquifolium Silver Queen in the Context of Chemical Profiling of Two Ilex Species
by Natalia Pachura, Maciej Włodarczyk, Barbara Bażanów, Aleksandra Pogorzelska, Tomasz Gębarowski, Robert Kupczyński and Antoni Szumny
Molecules 2024, 29(13), 3231; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules29133231 - 8 Jul 2024
Viewed by 1704
Abstract
The leaves of Ilex paraguariensis (known as Yerba mate), used as a popular beverage, are a very well-recognized plant material with various biological activities, including analeptic (because of caffeine), anti-obesity (phenolics, saponins), antimicrobial, and antiviral (phenolics, saponins). Here, the chemical compositions of the [...] Read more.
The leaves of Ilex paraguariensis (known as Yerba mate), used as a popular beverage, are a very well-recognized plant material with various biological activities, including analeptic (because of caffeine), anti-obesity (phenolics, saponins), antimicrobial, and antiviral (phenolics, saponins). Here, the chemical compositions of the leaves of two European Ilex species (× meserveae and aquifolium) with three varieties each were investigated. The terpenoid, saponin, and polyphenolic fractions were submitted for LC-MS or GC-MS analysis against a standard Mate leaf. In addition, the aroma profiles of all the species were analysed using HS-SPME-Arrow prior to GC-MS analysis. All fractions were subjected to antiviral and cytotoxic assays. We found 86 compounds in all accessions, with limonene, linalool, and p-cymene being predominant. There were minor similarities between the volatile compositions of the European and South American species. We found ursolic and oleanolic acid to be the main compounds in the terpenoid fraction. Mono-caffeoylquinic acids and di-caffeoylquinic acids were the main constituents of the polar fractions. About 180 compounds from the saponin group were tentatively identified, of which 9 and 3 were selected as distinctive markers for I. meserveae and I. aquifolium, respectively. Based on chemical screening, I. aquifolium Silver Queen was chosen as the source of terpenoid and saponin fractions and polyphenol extracts. The most substantial inhibition of cancer cell growth was observed with saponin in the case of the MCF7 (human breast cancer) cell line, while for LoVo and L929 cell lines (human colorectal cancer and reference mouse fibroblasts), it was slightly weaker. These results should be analysed further as a promising chemoprevention of colorectal and gastrointestinal cancers. Saponin and polyphenolic extracts exhibited similar activities against HSV-1 and HAdV-5, with 4-log reduction in virus titres. This study focuses our attention on a field of potential antiviral formulations derived from European holly. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Chemical and Biological Research on Bioactive Natural Products)
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12 pages, 5330 KiB  
Article
In Vitro and In Vivo Preventive Effects of Thymoquinone against Breast Cancer: Role of DNMT1
by Mohammed Kaleem, Asaad Kayali, Ryan A. Sheikh, Abudukadeer Kuerban, Mohammed A. Hassan, Naif Abdullah R. Almalki, Fahad A. Al-Abbasi, Firoz Anwar, Ziad Omran and Mahmoud Alhosin
Molecules 2024, 29(2), 434; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules29020434 - 16 Jan 2024
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 1961
Abstract
Breast cancer (BC) is one of the most common cancers in women and is a major cause of female cancer-related deaths. BC is a multifactorial disease caused by the dysregulation of many genes, raising the need to find novel drugs that function by [...] Read more.
Breast cancer (BC) is one of the most common cancers in women and is a major cause of female cancer-related deaths. BC is a multifactorial disease caused by the dysregulation of many genes, raising the need to find novel drugs that function by targeting several signaling pathways. The antitumoral drug thymoquinone (TQ), found in black seed oil, has multitargeting properties against several signaling pathways. This study evaluated the inhibitory effects of TQ on the MCF7 and T47D human breast cancer cell lines and its antitumor activity against BC induced by a single oral dose (65 mg/kg) of 7,12-dimethylbenzanthracene (DMBA) in female rats. The therapeutic activity was evaluated in DMBA-treated rats who received oral TQ (50 mg/kg) three times weekly. TQ-treated MCF7 and T47D cells showed concentration-dependent inhibition of cell proliferation and induction of apoptosis. TQ also decreased the expression of DNA methyltransferase 1 (DNMT1) in both cancer cell types. In DMBA-treated animals, TQ inhibited the number of liver and kidney metastases. These effects were associated with a reduction in DNMT1 mRNA expression. These results indicate that TQ has protective effects against breast carcinogens through epigenetic mechanisms involving DNMT1 inhibition. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Chemical and Biological Research on Bioactive Natural Products)
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