Essential Oils—Third Edition
A special issue of Molecules (ISSN 1420-3049). This special issue belongs to the section "Natural Products Chemistry".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 March 2025
Special Issue Editor
Interests: natural compounds; essential oils; plant extracts; GC-MS; LC-MS; biological activity
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Following the success of the first and second Special Issues "Essential Oils 2021" and "Essential Oils II”, we are launching the third edition “Essential Oils—Third Edition” to invite the selected experts in this field.
Essential oils are natural secondary metabolites, produced by aromatic plants, which are responsible for their distinctive scents. These liquid, volatile, and often colorful compounds are soluble in organic solvents and are complex mixtures of terpenoids, primarily monoterpenes (C10) and sesquiterpenes (C15). Essential oils can be found in various plant organs, including buds, flowers, leaves, seeds, twigs, stems, fruits, roots, wood, or bark and can be obtained through mechanical pressing or distillation. These concentrated plant extracts retain the natural aroma and flavor of their botanical sources. The chemical composition of an essential oil can vary significantly, not only within the same plant species but also from one individual plant to another. This variability is influenced by a range of factors, such as genetic makeup, geographical origin, environmental conditions, nutritional status, the specific plant parts extracted (e.g., stem, leaf, flower, etc.), and the extraction methods employed.
Since ancient times, plant-derived essential oils have been an integral part of traditional medicine and pharmacopoeia, particularly for their antimicrobial properties. However, their biological activities extend far beyond their antimicrobial effects. Essential oils have been found to exhibit a diverse array of beneficial properties, including anti-inflammatory, analgesic, antioxidant, antidiabetic, spasmolytic, sedative, anti-cancer, insecticidal, and insect-repellent activities. In the natural world, essential oils play a crucial role in the protection and interactions of plants. Their allelopathic potential can influence not only other plants but also the microorganisms present within the same agro-ecosystems. Understanding the complex mechanisms underlying the biological activities of essential oils remains an ongoing challenge for researchers.
This Special Issue aims to bring together a diverse range of contributions that delve into the various aspects of essential oils. We invite original research, mini-reviews, comprehensive reviews, brief communications, and perspectives that address any of the following topics:
- Biosynthesis of essential oils within plants;
- The functional roles of essential oils in plant physiology and ecology;
- Elucidating the mechanisms of action of essential oils;
- Investigating the in vitro and in vivo biological activities of essential oils.
By exploring the multifaceted world of essential oils, this Special Issue seeks to advance our understanding of these remarkable plant-derived compounds and their potential applications in various fields, from medicine and agriculture to environmental science and beyond.
Dr. Laura De Martino
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
- essential oils
- volatile organic compounds (VOCs)
- chemical fingerprinting
- isoprenoids
- gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS)
- nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy
- physiological functions of essential oils in plants
- molecular mechanisms of essential oils
- in vitro and in vivo bioactivities
- antimicrobial agents
- anti-infective properties
- antioxidant potential
- allelopathic interactions
- biosynthetic pathways
- extraction techniques
Related Special Issues
- Essential Oils II in Molecules (25 articles)
- Essential Oils 2021 in Molecules (25 articles)
