Novel Applications of Natural Polysaccharides for Pharmaceuticals
A special issue of Pharmaceuticals (ISSN 1424-8247). This special issue belongs to the section "Biopharmaceuticals".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 November 2023) | Viewed by 7292
Special Issue Editors
Interests: polysaccharides; marine prebiotics; gut microbiota; biological and pharmacological activities
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: polysaccharides; oligosaccharides; gut microbiota; biological acitivity; marine prebiotics
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: cerebral vascular biology; drug discovery; aging; cancer biology; cell signal transduction; molecular and translational research
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Natural polysaccharides are important biomacromolecules that exist in almost all living forms. They have important biological functions, and are receiving increasing attention due to their extensive range of therapeutic and biological activities, including antioxidant, anticoagulant, antidiabetic, anti-tumor, immunomodulatory, antimicrobial, antiviral, and hypoglycemia activities; thus, they are one of the most promising candidates in the biomedical and pharmaceutical fields. Polysaccharides can be isolated from natural sources including algae, plants, microorganisms, and animals. Additionally, due to their physicochemical properties, they are prone to physical and chemical modifications that can lead to improved properties; this is the basis for their various biomedical and pharmaceutical applications. However, there are limitations and challenges to these applications, including batch-to-batch variations, microbial contamination, reduced viscosity during storage, thickening, and uncontrolled rates of hydration. These problems could be minimized through modifications such as grafting, cross-linking, and blending with other natural/synthetic/semi-synthetic polymers. Furthermore, the high variability of polysaccharides in nature adds a new challenge to the extraction and purification of these polysaccharides; they are naturally found in complexes with other compounds such as proteins and lipids, and their isolation requires efficient and precise methods to avoid co-extraction and contamination with other compounds. Lastly, determining and understanding polysaccharides' structural activity relationships could provide new opportunities for their pharmaceutical and biological applications. Therefore, this Special Issue welcomes original research or review papers that highlight:
- Studies on the structure and properties of polysaccharides from different sources with potential medicinal and pharmaceutical applications.
- Studies on immunomodulation and new materials based on polysaccharides isolated from different sources and their derivatives.
- Studies on nonmodified and modified polysaccharides for drug delivery, immunomodulation, tissue engineering, and hydrogel preparation.
Dr. Suresh Veeraperumal
Dr. Kit Leong Cheong
Dr. Pazhanichamy Kalailingam
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. 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
- natural polysaccharides
- biological activity
- drug delivery
- immunomodulation
- structural activity relationship
- biopharmaceutics
- formulation
Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue
- Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
- Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
- Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
- External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
- e-Book format: Special Issues with more than 10 articles can be published as dedicated e-books, ensuring wide and rapid dissemination.
Further information on MDPI's Special Issue polices can be found here.
