Innovative Analytical Approaches for Natural Products and Pharmaceuticals in Complex Matrices

Dear Colleagues,

Pharmaceuticals and natural bioactive products, including those of plant, microbial, or marine origin, play a crucial role in health, agriculture, and biotechnology. However, their presence, as therapeutic agents, dietary supplements, or unintended environmental contaminants, requires accurate and sensitive analytical approaches for their identification, quantification, and monitoring in complex matrices.

Emerging contaminants (ECs), such as pharmaceuticals, personal care products, and transformation by-products, are increasingly detected in environmental, food, and biological systems. The analytical characterization of ECs presents significant challenges due to the complexity of matrices, the chemical diversity of target compounds, and the need for high sensitivity and selectivity.

Natural products with therapeutic activity also require advanced analytical methods to verify their composition, effectiveness, and safety, particularly in nutraceuticals, herbal products, and functional food matrices.

This Topic, "Innovative Analytical Approaches for Natural Products and Pharmaceuticals in Complex Matrices", aims to highlight recent advances in the development and implementation of analytical techniques for the investigation of both synthetic pharmaceuticals and naturally derived bioactive compounds. Contributions may include advances in separation techniques (e.g., LC-MS/MS, GC-MS, UHPLC, CE), high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS), and electrochemical detection methods.

We also welcome studies focused on green sample preparation, metabolomics and untargeted screening, and the role of analytical methods in elucidating degradation pathways, bioavailability, and risk assessment. Emphasis will be placed on real-world applications across environmental, food, pharmaceutical, and biomedical fields.

Dr. Rosanna Ciriello
Dr. Filomena Lelario
Dr. Carmen Tesoro
Topic Editors