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Plants
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Plants as Innovative Carrier Systems: Development, Characterization, and Evaluation
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Plants as Innovative Carrier Systems: Development, Characterization, and Evaluation

A special issue of Plants (ISSN 2223-7747). This special issue belongs to the section "Phytochemistry".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 January 2026) | Viewed by 2760

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Adina-Elena Segneanu

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Guest Editor
1. Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, Biology, and Geography, West University of Timisoara, Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi 16, 300115 Timișoara, Romania
2. Department of Chemistry, Institute for Advanced Environmental Research, West University of Timişoara (ICAM–WUT), 4 Oituz Street, 300086 Timişoara, Romania
Interests: food safety; nanomaterials; gel; natural compounds; analytical methodology; spectroscopy; active substance and secondary metabolites
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. George Dan Mogoşanu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Pharmacognosy & Phytotherapy, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Craiova, 2 Petru Rareş Street, 200349 Craiova, Dolj, Romania
Interests: pharmacognosy; phytotherapy; chemistry of natural compounds; history of pharmacy; homeopathy

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue aims to highlight recent advances in design and development of new phyto-engineered carrier systems as potential therapeutic agents.

Nowadays, herbal preparations are considered natural, sustainable health solutions for various ailments. However, self-medication can lead to exceeding the dose and possible intoxication risks. The last generation of phyto-engineered systems is designed to mitigate these contingencies and enhance therapeutic potential concurrently with maximizing bioavailability, controlled dosage, prolonged release, and specific target delivery. Moreover, high-performance phyto-engineered systems open new therapeutic possibilities.

Various analytic techniques (FT-IR spectroscopy, UV-Vis spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, dynamic light scattering, EDS spectroscopy, and others) provide insight into the morpho-structural features of a new carrier system. In addition, the chemical screening of the plant component can be carried out via GC-MS, UHPLC-MS/MS, MS-MS, UHPLC-QTOF-MS/MS-SPE-NMR, or other modern analytical techniques. Information on new phyto-engineered carried system biological activity, biocompatibility, and bioavailability are critical steps in the research strategy of new therapeutic development agents.

We look forward to your contributions to this Special Issue, which will focus on but need not be limited to any of the topics outlined above.

Dr. Adina-Elena Segneanu
Dr. George Dan Mogoşanu
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 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. Plants 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

  • phyto-carrier
  • phyto-engineered systems
  • drug-delivery systems
  • phytocostituents
  • chemical screening
  • therapeutic agents
  • morpho-structural properties
  • biological activity
  • spectroscopic techniques
  • chromatography methods

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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22 pages, 2761 KB  
Article
Pea Within Pea: Microencapsulation of Pea Pod Extract Using Pea Grain Powder as a Sustainable Carrier
by Nada Ćujić Nikolić, Zorana Mutavski, Jelena Mudrić, Milica Radan, Jelena Vulić, Smilja Marković and Katarina Šavikin
Plants 2026, 15(7), 996; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants15070996 - 24 Mar 2026
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Abstract
The pods of pea (Pisum sativum L.), an abundant agroindustry by-product, represents a sustainable source of bioactive compounds. To harness these compounds effectively, this study aimed to optimize the ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) of polyphenols and plant pigments (chlorophylls and carotenoids) from pea [...] Read more.
The pods of pea (Pisum sativum L.), an abundant agroindustry by-product, represents a sustainable source of bioactive compounds. To harness these compounds effectively, this study aimed to optimize the ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) of polyphenols and plant pigments (chlorophylls and carotenoids) from pea pod waste using response surface methodology, and to evaluate the encapsulation of the resulting extract with a novel pea-based carrier derived from whole pea grain powder. The optimal conditions for the extraction were a time of 45 min, a solid-to-solvent ratio of 1:48 (w/v), and an ethanol concentration of 58.51% (v/v). The extract obtained under these conditions was encapsulated using pea grain powder and compared with a conventional whey protein carrier. The resulting microencapsulates were characterized in terms of process yield, moisture content, particle size distribution, thermal properties, and phenolic composition. Pea grain powder as a carrier provided higher powder yield, lower moisture content, and improved thermal stability, whereas whey protein allowed slightly higher retention of most bioactive compounds, except for coumaric acid and kaempferol. Overall, these findings highlight pea grain powder as a promising plant-based carrier that supports the valorization of pea pod waste, contributing to the development of sustainable ingredients and a circular economy for legume processing by-products. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plants as Innovative Carrier Systems: Development, Characterization, and Evaluation)
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19 pages, 3370 KB  
Article
Physicochemical and Functional Evaluation of Chia Mucilage (Salvia hispanica)–Alginate Microcapsules as a Delivery System of ACE-Inhibitory Peptides from Phaseolus lunatus
by Valentino Mukthar Sandoval-Peraza, David Betancur-Ancona, Arturo Castellanos-Ruelas, Yossef Hernández-Rodríguez and Luis Chel-Guerrero
Plants 2026, 15(5), 704; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants15050704 - 26 Feb 2026
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Abstract
Biopolymers and bioactive peptides of plant origin represent sustainable resources with high potential for the development of functional ingredients with health benefits. An underutilized plant source of antihypertensive peptides is lima bean protein (Phaseolus lunatus); however, these peptides can be inactivated [...] Read more.
Biopolymers and bioactive peptides of plant origin represent sustainable resources with high potential for the development of functional ingredients with health benefits. An underutilized plant source of antihypertensive peptides is lima bean protein (Phaseolus lunatus); however, these peptides can be inactivated or degraded during their passage through the gastrointestinal tract. This study evaluated chia (Salvia hispanica) mucilage (CM) combined with sodium alginate (Al) as a hybrid encapsulation matrix for ACE-inhibitory peptides (<10 kDa) from P. lunatus. The ionic gelation technique was used, and encapsulation conditions were optimized using a 23 factorial design that evaluated CM:Al ratios, calcium concentration, and hardening time. The optimal formulation (30:70 CM:Al; 0.05 M CaCl2; 20 min of hardening time) achieved approximately 48% encapsulation efficiency and maintained the peptides’ ACE-inhibitory (IC50 mg/mL) activity during simulated gastric digestion with controlled intestinal release. The formed capsules demonstrated good flow properties, thermal stability up to 178 °C, and preserved ACE-I activity (0.1 mg/mL IC50) significantly better than alginate alone after in vitro digestion. These findings suggest that CM:Al blends could produce capsules with the ability to protect bioactive peptides with low molecular weight, warranting further investigation through in vivo bioavailability studies and structural characterization to confirm the proposed matrix-enhancing mechanisms. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plants as Innovative Carrier Systems: Development, Characterization, and Evaluation)
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Review

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47 pages, 742 KB  
Review
Plant-Derived Nanocarriers for Drug Delivery: A Unified Framework Integrating Extracellular Vesicles, Engineered Phytocarriers, Hybrid Platforms, and Bioinspired Systems
by Adina-Elena Segneanu, George Dan Mogoşanu, Cornelia Bejenaru, Roxana Kostici and Ludovic Everard Bejenaru
Plants 2026, 15(6), 908; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants15060908 - 15 Mar 2026
Viewed by 1177
Abstract
Plant-derived extracellular vesicles (PDEVs), engineered phytosomes, bioinspired polymeric plant-based nanoparticles (PBNPs), hybrid phyto-inorganic nanocomposites, green-synthesized metal nanoparticles, self-assembled nanoarchitectures, and multifunctional composites represent a rapidly advancing class of sustainable, nature-inspired nanocarriers. These platforms combine exceptional biocompatibility, negligible immunogenicity, and renewable sourcing with tunable [...] Read more.
Plant-derived extracellular vesicles (PDEVs), engineered phytosomes, bioinspired polymeric plant-based nanoparticles (PBNPs), hybrid phyto-inorganic nanocomposites, green-synthesized metal nanoparticles, self-assembled nanoarchitectures, and multifunctional composites represent a rapidly advancing class of sustainable, nature-inspired nanocarriers. These platforms combine exceptional biocompatibility, negligible immunogenicity, and renewable sourcing with tunable drug loading, targeted delivery, and controlled release properties. This review synthesizes translational advances from 2020 to 2026, covering scalable isolation/bioprocessing (bioreactors, elicitation), multi-parametric physicochemical/multi-omics characterization, rational engineering/hybridization, and rigorous in vitro/in vivo assessments of uptake, biodistribution, pharmacokinetic (PK), and efficacy. Phytosomes and PBNPs markedly enhance oral bioavailability and targeted delivery of lipophilic phytochemicals, while PDEVs offer unique immunomodulatory, anti-inflammatory, and gene-regulatory activities. Hybrid and green-synthesized systems provide structural stability, redox modulation, and synergistic effects, and self-assembled/multifunctional composites address solubilization barriers with stimuli-responsive design. Early-phase human studies on grapefruit-, ginger-, turmeric-, and ginseng-derived PDEVs report excellent short-term safety, favorable PK, and preliminary bioactivity signals, with no observed immunogenicity or dose-limiting toxicities; however, these trials remain exploratory, constrained by small sample sizes and safety-focused endpoints. Despite challenges, including methodological heterogeneity, variable yields, long-term safety uncertainties (notably for inorganic hybrids), and regulatory ambiguities, emerging strategies such as clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)-engineered plant line; artificial-intelligence-driven process optimization; standardized guidelines, and integrated clinical, intellectual property, and commercialization frameworks are progressively addressing these barriers. Collectively, these advances position plant-derived nanocarriers as immunologically privileged, eco-friendly alternatives to synthetic and mammalian platforms, laying the foundation for a sustainable era of precision phytomedicine. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plants as Innovative Carrier Systems: Development, Characterization, and Evaluation)
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