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Natural Bioactive Derivatives in Human Health Products: Extraction, Phytochemical Screening, and Formulation Design

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2021) | Viewed by 17326

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Teresa Mencherini

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Pharmacy, University of Salerno, Fisciano, Italy
Interests: secondary metabolite isolation from medicinal plants and food byproducts; analytical techniques; structural determination; NMR spectroscopy; nutraceuticals; bioactive natural molecules
Dr. Francesca Sansone

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Pharmacy, University of Salerno, Salerno, Italy
Interests: drug delivery systems for pharmaceutical; nutraceutical and cosmetic applications; application of micro/nano-encapsulation techniques in particle engineering; biopolymers; medicinal plant extracts; spray drying; technological and solid state characterization

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Bioactive compounds, including polyphenols, terpenoids, alkaloids, and other nitrogen-containing constituents, recovered from vegetable resources (food or food by-product, and medicinal plants), are useful in maintaining well-being, enhancing human health, preventing or treating chronic or acute diseases. The study of natural products requires a multidisciplinary approach involving different experties (from phytochemistry and botany to pharmacology and toxicology) to discover new natural compounds or human health benefits, also acquiring data on safety of use.

Despite the complex process of production, chemical characterization, and assessment of healthy effects, bioactive compounds should also be manufactured in stable delivery systems. A formulative approach allows delivering bioactive compounds to the site of action increasing bioavailability, after administration, to enhance stability during processing and storage, slowing down the degradation processes, also able to mask their bad taste or penetrating smell. For this Special Issue of Molecules, “Natural Bioactive Derivatives in Human Health Products: Extraction, Phytochemical Screening, and Formulation Design”, we invite researchers to contribute original research or review articles covering different aspects of bioactive natural compounds:

—Innovative extraction methods of bioactive compounds from food, medicinal plants, and food wastes and byproducts, with particular regard to bio- and eco-compatible solvents and processes;

—Chemical characterization, and biological investigation at multiple levels (in tube, in vitro, ex vivo, or in vivo). If plant extracts are the object of study/research, phytochemical profiling elucidation/evaluation is strongly recommended;

—Formulation design and development of innovative delivery systems containing vegetable extracts/compounds as raw material or as micro- and nanoparticulate form for food, cosmetic, and pharmaceutical applications;

—Technological characterization, stability studies, pharmacodynamic profiles, and biological investigations of plant extracts/compounds-based formulations.

Dr. Teresa Mencherini
Dr. Francesca Sansone
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 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

  • Bioactive natural extracts or compounds
  • Extraction
  • Phytochemical profiling
  • Formulation design and development
  • Technological and biological characterization

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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15 pages, 3168 KiB  
Article
Development and Optimization of Methylcellulose-Based Nanoemulgel Loaded with Nigella sativa Oil for Oral Health Management: Quadratic Model Approach
by Muhammad H. Sultan, Shamama Javed, Osama Ali Madkhali, Mohammad Intakhab Alam, Yosif Almoshari, Mohammad Ali Bakkari, Durgaramani Sivadasan, Ahmad Salawi, Ameena Jabeen and Waquar Ahsan
Molecules 2022, 27(6), 1796; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules27061796 - 9 Mar 2022
Cited by 13 | Viewed by 3442
Abstract
The present study aimed to develop a local dental nanoemulgel formulation of Nigella sativa oil (NSO) for the treatment of periodontal diseases. NSO purchased from a local market was characterized using a GC–MS technique. A nanoemulsion containing NSO was prepared and incorporated into [...] Read more.
The present study aimed to develop a local dental nanoemulgel formulation of Nigella sativa oil (NSO) for the treatment of periodontal diseases. NSO purchased from a local market was characterized using a GC–MS technique. A nanoemulsion containing NSO was prepared and incorporated into a methylcellulose gel base to develop the nanoemulgel formulation. The developed formulation was optimized using a Box–Behnken statistical design (quadratic model) with 17 runs. The effects of independent factors, such as water, oil, and polymer concentrations, were studied on two dependent responses, pH and viscosity. The optimized formulation was further evaluated for droplet size, drug release, stability, and antimicrobial efficacy. The developed formulation had a pH of 7.37, viscosity of 2343 cp, and droplet size of 342 ± 36.6 nm. Sustained release of the drug from the gel for up to 8 h was observed, which followed Higuchi release kinetics with non-Fickian diffusion. The developed nanoemulgel formulation showed improved antimicrobial activity compared to the plain NSO. Given the increasing emergence of periodontal diseases and antimicrobial resistance, an effective formulation based on a natural antibacterial agent is warranted as a dental therapeutic agent. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Natural Bioactive Derivatives in Human Health Products: Extraction, Phytochemical Screening, and Formulation Design)
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13 pages, 2187 KiB  
Article
The Effects of Adding a Gel-Alike Curcuma longa L. Suspension as Color Agent on Some Quality and Sensory Properties of Yogurt
by Angélica Serpa Guerra, Catalina Gómez Hoyos, Jorge Velásquez-Cock, Lina Vélez, Piedad Gañán and Robin Zuluaga
Molecules 2022, 27(3), 946; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules27030946 - 30 Jan 2022
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 3051
Abstract
Color is an important characteristic of food products. This characteristic is related to consumer acceptability. To use the entire rhizome of Curcuma longa (CL) as a food colorant, a novel gel alike stable suspension (CLS) was previously developed using cellulose nanofibers (CNFs). Therefore, [...] Read more.
Color is an important characteristic of food products. This characteristic is related to consumer acceptability. To use the entire rhizome of Curcuma longa (CL) as a food colorant, a novel gel alike stable suspension (CLS) was previously developed using cellulose nanofibers (CNFs). Therefore, the present study was conducted to evaluate the CLS as a color additive on a stirred yogurt. Three concentrations of CLS were studied (0.1, 0.125, and 0.15 wt. %) and compared to yogurt without CLS. The obtained yogurts were characterized through the determination of pH, titratable acidity, syneresis, color and curcumin content after 1, 7, 14, and 21 days of storage. Additionally, rheological and sensory measurements were performed on the samples after one day of storage. Results show that the addition of CLS does not affect the pH and titratable acidity of the samples, but all the yogurts showed an increase in their syneresis during the storage time, showing a breakdown of the gel structure. Furthermore, the CLS suspension has the ability to impart a yellow color to yogurts, a characteristic that was stable during storage. Finally, the addition of 1 wt. % or 1.25 wt. % of CLS allows the development of a yogurt with adequate sensory perception. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Natural Bioactive Derivatives in Human Health Products: Extraction, Phytochemical Screening, and Formulation Design)
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Review

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89 pages, 2757 KiB  
Review
Plant-Derived Natural Products in Cancer Research: Extraction, Mechanism of Action, and Drug Formulation
by Wamidh H. Talib, Izzeddin Alsalahat, Safa Daoud, Reem Fawaz Abutayeh and Asma Ismail Mahmod
Molecules 2020, 25(22), 5319; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules25225319 - 14 Nov 2020
Cited by 71 | Viewed by 10093
Abstract
Cancer is one of the main causes of death globally and considered as a major challenge for the public health system. The high toxicity and the lack of selectivity of conventional anticancer therapies make the search for alternative treatments a priority. In this [...] Read more.
Cancer is one of the main causes of death globally and considered as a major challenge for the public health system. The high toxicity and the lack of selectivity of conventional anticancer therapies make the search for alternative treatments a priority. In this review, we describe the main plant-derived natural products used as anticancer agents. Natural sources, extraction methods, anticancer mechanisms, clinical studies, and pharmaceutical formulation are discussed in this review. Studies covered by this review should provide a solid foundation for researchers and physicians to enhance basic and clinical research on developing alternative anticancer therapies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Natural Bioactive Derivatives in Human Health Products: Extraction, Phytochemical Screening, and Formulation Design)
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