Isolation, Characterization, and Application of Anticancer Agents from Natural Products
A special issue of Molecules (ISSN 1420-3049). This special issue belongs to the section "Natural Products Chemistry".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 April 2025 | Viewed by 50
Special Issue Editors
Interests: plant biotechnology; medicinal plants; bioactive compounds; phytochemistry; essential oil; cytotoxic activity
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: medicinal and aromatic plants; bioactive compounds; phytochemistry; antioxidants
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Cancer is a leading cause of mortality worldwide, significantly impacting the global population each year. Researchers continue to explore novel therapies for cancer treatment and prevention. Although chemotherapy and radiotherapy are often effective in combating cancer, they are associated with numerous adverse side effects. Anticancer drugs are highly toxic not only to cancer cells but also to healthy cells. In contrast, plant specialized metabolites and plant extracts may exhibit potential anticancer properties, by altering redox status and interfering with key cellular processes such as the cell cycle, apoptosis, and metastasis. Additionally, these compounds may induce non-apoptotic cell death mechanisms, including the regulation of autophagy, cancer-specific microRNAs, mitotic catastrophe, or necrosis-like programmed cell death.
Plant-derived compounds are often associated with fewer toxic side effects compared to synthetic compounds. Furthermore, the extraction of secondary metabolites from plants is often more cost-effective than chemical synthesis, particularly for compounds that are difficult or impossible to synthesize chemically. In recent years, numerous researchers have discovered new plant-derived compounds with anticancer properties. These valuable secondary metabolites can be extracted from plants cultivated on plantations or obtained from plant materials produced through in vitro cultures (e.g., suspension cultures and transformed roots). The in vitro culture techniques offer an alternative to traditional methods as they are conducted under strictly controlled conditions, regardless of the season or climate zone.
The current Special Issue is open to high-quality original and review articles that contribute to the knowledge of recent developments in bioactive plant metabolites with cytotoxic activity and potential anticancer properties. We welcome scientific contributions related to, but not limited to, the following topics:
- Isolation and identification of novel phytochemicals with anticancer potential using modern chromatographic and spectral methods;
- Plant in vitro cultures and biotechnological strategies to increase the accumulation of the molecules with anticancer activity;
- The role of oxidative stress in cancer;
- Anticancer activity of pure compounds and plant extracts (in vitro and in vivo studies).
Prof. Dr. Ewa Skała
Dr. Agnieszka Kicel
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
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Keywords
- medicinal plants
- bioactive phytochemicals
- cytotoxic activity
- oxidative stress
- anticancer potential
- mechanism of action
- cancer cells
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