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Pharmaceuticals
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Neuropharmacology of Plant Extracts and Their Active Compounds (Second Edition)
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Neuropharmacology of Plant Extracts and Their Active Compounds (Second Edition)

A special issue of Pharmaceuticals (ISSN 1424-8247). This special issue belongs to the section "Natural Products".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 April 2026 | Viewed by 1995

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Angel Josabad Alonso-Castro

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Departamento de Farmacia, División de Ciencias Naturales y Exactas, Universidad de Guanajuato, Guanajuato, Mexico
Interests: pharmacology; medicinal plant; ethnobotany; pharmacy
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Approximately 13% of the world's population, around 970 million people, live with mental disorders that affect emotional regulation as well as physical and social functions. The number of cases of anxiety and depression due to the pandemic has increased dramatically. A small percentage of people with a mental disorder will look for medical advice. In rural areas, it is difficult to access pharmacological treatments. The use of medicinal plants among the general population for treating mental disorders has increased in the last three years. Many of these plant species and their active compounds remain to be studied. This Special Issue will be focused on medicinal plants used for mental disorders on the following topics: (i) ethnobotanical studies using quantitative tools, (ii) survey-based studies about self-medication/the use of herbal products, (iii) preclinical and clinical studies about the neuropharmacological action of plant extracts and/or their active compounds, (v) legislation and regulation of herbal products used for mental disorders, (vi) herb–drug combinations, and (vii) herb–drug-based treatments for preventing neurodegenerative diseases.

The journal Pharmaceuticals invites experts to contribute to this Special Issue with reviews and original research articles focusing on the pharmacology, toxicology, analytical chemistry, pharmacy, and ethnobotany of medicinal plants with neuropharmacological effects.

Dr. Angel Josabad Alonso-Castro
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 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

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. Pharmaceuticals is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly 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 2900 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

  • medicinal plant
  • mental disorder
  • preclinical
  • clinical

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

22 pages, 2178 KB  
Article
Involvement of Serotonergic and Dopaminergic Systems in Aloysia gratissima var. gratissima: Antidepressant-like Effect, UPLC-DAD-MS Chemical Characterization, and Computational Evidence
by Miguel A. Campuzano-Bublitz, Alberto Burgos-Edwards, Elvio Gayozo, Adelian A. Acosta, Rodrigo S. Paredes, Alex D. Campuzano-Kennedy, Antonia K. Galeano, Yenny P. González, Nelson L. Alvarenga, Teresa Taboada-Jara and María L. Kennedy
Pharmaceuticals 2026, 19(2), 329; https://doi.org/10.3390/ph19020329 - 17 Feb 2026
Viewed by 957
Abstract
Background/Objectives: As the prevalence of depression and the use of antidepressants have risen steadily in the last decade, new treatment options are needed. Aloysia gratissima var. gratissima ethanol extract has previously shown antidepressant-like activity, and the present study was conducted to identify the [...] Read more.
Background/Objectives: As the prevalence of depression and the use of antidepressants have risen steadily in the last decade, new treatment options are needed. Aloysia gratissima var. gratissima ethanol extract has previously shown antidepressant-like activity, and the present study was conducted to identify the active fraction and clarify the possible mechanisms of action. Methods: Tail suspension (TST) and forced swimming (FST) behavioral tests were performed, and possible mechanisms of action were elucidated using serotonergic, dopaminergic, adrenergic, and GABAergic system antagonists. UPLC-DAD-MS analyses were performed to identify compounds in active fractions, and molecular docking studies were carried out to determine the binding affinities of these compounds to serotonergic and dopaminergic receptors (5-HT1A, 5-HT2A, 5-HT3, and D2R). Results: Ethyl acetate and butanol fractions were found to decrease immobility time in FST. The reduction in immobility time during the FST caused by the ethyl acetate fraction was reversed by pretreating mice with WAY100635 (5-HT1A antagonist), ketanserin (a 5-HT2A antagonist, ondansetron (5-HT3 antagonist), or haloperidol (D2 antagonist). UPLC-DAD-MS analysis revealed a similar composition for the ethyl acetate and butanol fractions of A. gratissima var. gratissima. Pharmacokinetic predictions suggest that only a few of the identified compounds have the potential to permeate the blood–brain barrier, and molecular docking simulations showed that compounds such as 13-oxooctadecadienoic acid, ferulic acid, and coumaric acid have binding affinities to the druggable site of serotonergic and dopaminergic receptors. Conclusions: These results suggest that the Agg ethyl acetate fraction possesses antidepressant-like activities, altering dopaminergic and serotonergic system functions. Computational simulations also suggest that some of the identified compounds have binding affinities to the 5-HT1A, 5-HT2A, 5-HT3, and D2R receptors. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Neuropharmacology of Plant Extracts and Their Active Compounds (Second Edition))
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24 pages, 3208 KB  
Article
Antidepressant-Like Effects of n-Butylidenephthalide Using In Vivo and In Silico Approaches
by María Leonor González-Rivera, María del Carmen Juárez-Vázquez, Athzirys Alejandra Melecio-Hernández, Diana Casique-Aguirre, Gabriela Josefina López-González, Ramsés Maximiliano Ramírez-Martínez, Andrea Ayala-Torres, Yurisleidys Quesada-Mendiola, Juan Ramón Zapata-Morales and Angel Josabad Alonso-Castro
Pharmaceuticals 2026, 19(2), 242; https://doi.org/10.3390/ph19020242 - 30 Jan 2026
Viewed by 636
Abstract
Background: The plant-derived compound n-butylidenephthalide (BP) is an isobenzofuranone that has shown neuropharmacological effects on preclinical models of Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Methods: This study evaluated the anti-inflammatory, antinociceptive, anxiolytic-like, hypnotic, anticonvulsant, and antidepressant-like effects of BP (50–200 mg/kg p.o.) [...] Read more.
Background: The plant-derived compound n-butylidenephthalide (BP) is an isobenzofuranone that has shown neuropharmacological effects on preclinical models of Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Methods: This study evaluated the anti-inflammatory, antinociceptive, anxiolytic-like, hypnotic, anticonvulsant, and antidepressant-like effects of BP (50–200 mg/kg p.o.) using Balb/c mice in acute assays. This study also evaluated the antidepressant-like effects of BP in a mouse model of reserpine-induced depression-like behavior for 20 days. Inhibitors involved in the molecular process of depression and in silico studies were used to evaluate a possible mechanism of action for the antidepressant-like effects of BP. Results: BP induced low anti-inflammatory effects, showed low anticonvulsant effects, and lacked hypnotic effects or motor impairment in acute assays. The antidepressant-like effects of BP (100–200 mg/kg p.o.) were comparable to amitriptyline (25 mg/kg p.o.) in acute assays. The participation of serotonergic and adrenergic systems is involved in the acute antidepressant-like effects of BP. In the reserpine-induced depression model, BP (100 mg/kg p.o.) showed antidepressant-like effects in one of the two antidepressant tests, but with a lower effect than amitriptyline (20 mg/kg p.o.). Conclusions: BP (100 and 200 mg/kg) showed antidepressant-like effects in acute assays and, to a lesser extent, in a reserpine-induced chronic model of depression-like behavior. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Neuropharmacology of Plant Extracts and Their Active Compounds (Second Edition))
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