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Chemical Characterization and Toxicological Activity of Natural and Chemical Active...
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Chemical Characterization and Toxicological Activity of Natural and Chemical Active Compounds

A special issue of Molecules (ISSN 1420-3049). This special issue belongs to the section "Natural Products Chemistry".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 January 2021) | Viewed by 20295

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Cristina A. Dehelean

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
1. Department of Toxicology, Drug Industry, Management and Legislation, Faculty of Pharmacy, Victor Babeş University of Medicine and Pharmacy Timisoara, 2nd EftimieMurgu Sq., 300041 Timişoara, Romania
2. Research Center for Pharmaco-Toxicological Evaluations, Faculty of Pharmacy, Victor Babes University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 2 Eftimie Murgu Street, 300041 Timisoara, Romania
Interests: natural compounds; toxicity; experimental evaluations; efficacy; toxicology; pharmacy; drug; cancer cells
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Natural active compounds are relevant in therapeutics and they determine important development in last decade. Their therapeutic properties recognised for many years. The evolution of herbal treatment applications started with total extracts and developed to modern techniques that will produce isolated active compounds. Because of the relevant toxicity of synthetic and chemical synthesis examples, new classes of natural sources were studied to be introduced into practice. Some compounds obtained from plants offer relevant biological properties, such as anticancer, anti-inflammatory, antiviral (including HIV/AIDS) and antimicrobial, for diabetes, etc. These aspects indicate them as future therapeutic targets. The new trends in natural compounds application includes safety, pharmacokinetics and efficacy as relevant parameters. New formulations with natural active compounds are nowadays targeted practical solutions. Another important correlation for natural compounds usage is their structure to derive new other innovative drugs. Examples like pentacyclic triterpenes, flavonols, isoflavones, etc. represent important possible actual and future active products. Their preparation and evaluation are very important because of different therapeutic results influenced by solvents, extraction procedures, specific solubility, and other physico-chemical differences. This Special Issue will include the original work of researchers related to the presented aim as well as new data that will offer possibilities for the development and implementation of some natural compounds or formulations for therapy. Review articles will discuss the specific problems about natural compounds and their activity or specificity that could be relevant for practice and related to the presented aim. Aspects such as the structure–activity relationship activity are accepted, as are new examples of natural sources of active compounds. Authors that consider their submission to be in need of review are kindly asked to contact the guest editor with some information about their paper.

Prof. Dr. Cristina Adriana Dehelean
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 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. Molecules 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

  • Active compounds
  • Toxicity
  • Herbal sources
  • Safety
  • Experimental evaluations
  • In vitro tests
  • Anticancer
  • Anti-inflammatory
  • Antimicrobial
  • Pharmacological activity
  • Efficacy/toxicity
  • Drug design
  • Development
  • Drugs
  • Extraction
  • Selectivity
  • Isolation
  • Precision therapy

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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18 pages, 2650 KiB  
Article
Melissa officinalis L. Aqueous Extract Exerts Antioxidant and Antiangiogenic Effects and Improves Physiological Skin Parameters
by Simona Sipos, Elena-Alina Moacă, Ioana Zinuca Pavel, Ştefana Avram, Octavian Marius Crețu, Dorina Coricovac, Roxana-Marcela Racoviceanu, Roxana Ghiulai, Ramona Daniela Pană, Codruţa Marinela Şoica, Florin Borcan, Cristina Adriana Dehelean and Zorin Crăiniceanu
Molecules 2021, 26(8), 2369; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules26082369 - 19 Apr 2021
Cited by 18 | Viewed by 4024
Abstract
Melissa officinalis (MO) is a medicinal plant well-known for its multiple pharmacological effects, including anti-inflammatory, anticancer and beneficial effects on skin recovery. In this context, the present study was aimed to investigate the in vitro and in vivo safety profile of an MO [...] Read more.
Melissa officinalis (MO) is a medicinal plant well-known for its multiple pharmacological effects, including anti-inflammatory, anticancer and beneficial effects on skin recovery. In this context, the present study was aimed to investigate the in vitro and in vivo safety profile of an MO aqueous extract by assessing cell viability on normal (HaCaT—human keratinocytes) and tumor (A375—human melanoma) cells and its impact on physiological skin parameters by a non-invasive method. In addition, the antioxidant activity and the antiangiogenic potential of the extract were verified. A selective cytotoxic effect was noted in A375 cells, while no toxicity was noticed in healthy cells. The MO aqueous extract safety profile after topical application was investigated on SKH-1 mice, and an enhanced skin hydration and decreased erythema and transepidermal water loss levels were observed. The in ovo CAM assay, performed to investigate the potential modulating effect on the angiogenesis process and the blood vessels impact, indicated that at concentrations of 100 and 500 µg/mL, MO aqueous extract induced a reduction of thin capillaries. No signs of vascular toxicity were recorded at concentrations as high as 1000 μg/mL. The aqueous extract of MO leaves can be considered a promising candidate for skin disorders with impaired physiological skin parameters. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Chemical Characterization and Toxicological Activity of Natural and Chemical Active Compounds)
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12 pages, 697 KiB  
Article
The Antioxidant Effect of Curcumin and Rutin on Oxidative Stress Biomarkers in Experimentally Induced Periodontitis in Hyperglycemic Wistar Rats
by Gilda M. Iova, Horia Calniceanu, Adelina Popa, Camelia A. Szuhanek, Olivia Marcu, Gabriela Ciavoi and Ioana Scrobota
Molecules 2021, 26(5), 1332; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules26051332 - 02 Mar 2021
Cited by 25 | Viewed by 3178
Abstract
Background: There is a growing interest in the correlation between antioxidants and periodontal disease. In this study, we aimed to investigate the effect of oxidative stress and the impact of two antioxidants, curcumin and rutin, respectively, in the etiopathology of experimentally induced periodontitis [...] Read more.
Background: There is a growing interest in the correlation between antioxidants and periodontal disease. In this study, we aimed to investigate the effect of oxidative stress and the impact of two antioxidants, curcumin and rutin, respectively, in the etiopathology of experimentally induced periodontitis in diabetic rats. Methods: Fifty Wistar albino rats were randomly divided into five groups and were induced with diabetes mellitus and periodontitis: (1) (CONTROL)—control group, (2) (DPP)—experimentally induced diabetes mellitus and periodontitis, (3) (DPC)—experimentally induced diabetes mellitus and periodontitis treated with curcumin (C), (4) (DPR)—experimentally induced diabetes mellitus and periodontitis treated with rutin (R) and (5) (DPCR)—experimentally induced diabetes mellitus and periodontitis treated with C and R. We evaluated malondialdehyde (MDA) as a biomarker of oxidative stress and reduced glutathione (GSH), oxidized glutathione (GSSG), GSH/GSSG and catalase (CAT) as biomarkers of the antioxidant capacity in blood harvested from the animals we tested. The MDA levels and CAT activities were also evaluated in the gingival tissue. Results: The control group effect was statistically significantly different from any other groups, regardless of whether or not the treatment was applied. There was also a significant difference between the untreated group and the three treatment groups for variables MDA, GSH, GSSG, GSH/GSSG and CAT. There was no significant difference in the mean effect for the MDA, GSH, GSSG, GSH/GSSG and CAT variables in the treated groups of rats with curcumin, rutin and the combination of curcumin and rutin. Conclusions: The oral administration of curcumin and rutin, single or combined, could reduce the oxidative stress and enhance the antioxidant status in hyperglycemic periodontitis rats. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Chemical Characterization and Toxicological Activity of Natural and Chemical Active Compounds)
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Review

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29 pages, 4740 KiB  
Review
Plant-Derived Anticancer Compounds as New Perspectives in Drug Discovery and Alternative Therapy
by Cristina Adriana Dehelean, Iasmina Marcovici, Codruta Soica, Marius Mioc, Dorina Coricovac, Stela Iurciuc, Octavian Marius Cretu and Iulia Pinzaru
Molecules 2021, 26(4), 1109; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules26041109 - 19 Feb 2021
Cited by 151 | Viewed by 12306
Abstract
Despite the recent advances in the field of chemically synthetized pharmaceutical agents, nature remains the main supplier of bioactive molecules. The research of natural products is a valuable approach for the discovery and development of novel biologically active compounds possessing unique structures and [...] Read more.
Despite the recent advances in the field of chemically synthetized pharmaceutical agents, nature remains the main supplier of bioactive molecules. The research of natural products is a valuable approach for the discovery and development of novel biologically active compounds possessing unique structures and mechanisms of action. Although their use belongs to the traditional treatment regimes, plant-derived compounds still cover a large portion of the current-day pharmaceutical agents. Their medical importance is well recognized in the field of oncology, especially as an alternative to the limitations of conventional chemotherapy (severe side effects and inefficacy due to the occurrence of multi-drug resistance). This review offers a comprehensive perspective of the first blockbuster chemotherapeutic agents of natural origin’s (e.g. taxol, vincristine, doxorubicin) mechanism of action using 3D representation. In addition is portrayed the step-by-step evolution from preclinical to clinical evaluation of the most recently studied natural compounds with potent antitumor activity (e.g. resveratrol, curcumin, betulinic acid, etc.) in terms of anticancer mechanisms of action and the possible indications as chemotherapeutic or chemopreventive agents and sensitizers. Finally, this review describes several efficient platforms for the encapsulation and targeted delivery of natural compounds in cancer treatment Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Chemical Characterization and Toxicological Activity of Natural and Chemical Active Compounds)
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