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Plant Natural Product: Extraction, Separation, Purification, Essential Oils and Functional...
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Plant Natural Product: Extraction, Separation, Purification, Essential Oils and Functional Product Development

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 September 2023) | Viewed by 6798

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Najeeb Ur Rehman

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Natural and Medical Sciences Research Center, University of Nizwa, P.O. Box 33, Birkat Al Mauz 616, Nizwa, Oman
Interests: synthesis; natural products; isolation; NMR analysis; chromatographic techniques
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Riaz Ullah

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Pharmacognosy, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Interests: isolation; biological activities; natural products; chromatography
Dr. Ajmal Khan

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Natural and Medical Sciences Research Center, University of Nizwa, P.O. Box 33, Birkat Al Mauz, Nizwa 616, Oman
Interests: enzyme inhibition; enzyme kinetics; molecular docking; in vitro and in vivo studies
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The importance of natural products is increasing day by day due to its prominent contribution to pharmacotherapy, in particular for cancer, diabetic, and other infectious diseases. According to one report, over 60% of the existing drugs for infectious diseases were obtained from natural sources, while around 80% of the world’s population relies on medicines obtained from plants for the health care system. However, the extraction methods and methods of application might affect the efficacy of natural-based extracts and essential oils. The successful application of these techniques has largely advanced our knowledge in medicinal herbs and improved the integration between natural products chemistry and disciplines of modern medical sciences.

This Special Issue covers multidisciplinary topics, including the characterization of bioactive compounds, their synthetic modification, and extraction of essential oils from aromatic and medicinal plants. Moreover, this Special Issue is intended to present and discuss high quality original research articles, or review articles focused on new, novel and known active secondary metabolites. 

Potential topics include, but are not limited to:

  • Isolation, purification, and characterization of secondary metabolites;
  • Synthetic modification of natural products with potential pharmaceutical activities;
  • Essential oils with different bioassays;
  • In vitro and in vivo analysis;
  • Medicinal plants and their extracts with pharmacological activities;
  • Molecular docking and in silico studies.

Dr. Najeeb Ur Rehman
Dr. Riaz Ullah
Dr. Ajmal Khan
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. 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

  • natural products
  • synthetic modification
  • medicinal plants
  • marine species
  • biological activities
  • NMR spectroscopy
  • in vitro and in vivo study
  • molecular docking

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

11 pages, 1047 KiB  
Article
Characterization of Olive Oil Volatile Compounds after Elution through Selected Bleaching Materials—Gas Chromatography–Mass Spectrometry Analysis
by Maher M. Al-Dabbas, Rawan Al-Jaloudi, Mai Adnan Abdullah and Mahmoud Abughoush
Molecules 2023, 28(18), 6444; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules28186444 - 05 Sep 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 931
Abstract
Using different bleaching materials to eliminate or reduce organic volatiles in deteriorated olive oils will positively affect its characteristics. This study aims to identify the volatiles of oxidized olive oil after physical bleaching using selected immobilized adsorbents. Oxidized olive oil was eluted using [...] Read more.
Using different bleaching materials to eliminate or reduce organic volatiles in deteriorated olive oils will positively affect its characteristics. This study aims to identify the volatiles of oxidized olive oil after physical bleaching using selected immobilized adsorbents. Oxidized olive oil was eluted using open-column chromatography packed with silica gel, bentonite, resin, Arabic gum, and charcoal at a 1:5 eluent system (w/v, adsorbent: oxidized olive oil). The smoke point was determined. The collected distilled vapor was injected into GC-MS to identify the volatiles eluted after partial refining with each of these bleaching compounds. The results showed that volatile compounds were quantitatively and qualitatively affected by the type of adsorbents used for the elution of olive oil and the smoking points of eluted oils. The most prominent detected volatile compounds were limonene (14.53%), piperitone (10.35%), isopropyl-5-methyl-(2E)-hexenal (8.6%), methyl octadecenoate (6.57%), and citronellyl acetate (5.87%). Both bentonite and resin were superior in decreasing the ratio of volatile compounds compared with other bleaching materials used. Resin immobilized medium was significantly affected (p < 0.05), raising the smoke point. These results highlighted some information regarding the characteristics of volatile compounds that result after the physical elution of olive oil through selected adsorbents. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Natural Product: Extraction, Separation, Purification, Essential Oils and Functional Product Development)
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17 pages, 2788 KiB  
Article
Extraction, Physicochemical Properties, Anti-Aging, and Antioxidant Activities of Polysaccharides from Industrial Hemp Residues
by Tanran Chang, Hang Li, Hongning Lv, Minghui Tan, Shoubu Hou, Xu Liu, Meng Lian, Qingsheng Zhao and Bing Zhao
Molecules 2022, 27(18), 5746; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules27185746 - 06 Sep 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1652
Abstract
A large amount of hemp polysaccharides remain in industrial hemp residues (IHR) after cannabidiol extraction, resulting in the waste of resources. Therefore, the systematic study of hemp polysaccharides is beneficial to the development of IHR in the future. In this study, the extraction [...] Read more.
A large amount of hemp polysaccharides remain in industrial hemp residues (IHR) after cannabidiol extraction, resulting in the waste of resources. Therefore, the systematic study of hemp polysaccharides is beneficial to the development of IHR in the future. In this study, the extraction of industrial hemp residues polysaccharide (IHRPs) was optimized by single-factor experiment and orthogonal experimental design. The optimum heating extraction conditions were extraction temperature 98 °C, solid–liquid ratio 1:10, extraction time 1 h, number of successive extractions 2, and pH at 4. The extraction ratio and the polysaccharide content were 20.12 ± 0.55% and 12.35 ± 0.26% at the conditions, respectively. Besides, the best alcohol precipitation conditions were pumping with 2 L/h, stirring continuously, and ice-water bath for 4 h. The crude IHRPs was further purified by column chromatography and the polysaccharide/protein contents of purified IHRPs were 34.44% and 1.61%. IHRPs was mainly made up of ten monosaccharides and some non-sugar components including organic acids, flavonoids, steroids, and glycoside. The FT-IR demonstrated the polysaccharide skeleton of IHRPs. Moreover, the DPPH and ABTS scavenging rate of IHRPs were 76.00% and 99.05% at the concentrations of 1 mg/mL. IHRPs could promote the epidermal cells proliferation and healing of cell scratches. Meanwhile, IHRPs could promoted the expression of anti-aging-related genes. Overall, IHRPs could be a desirable natural source of antioxidants and anti-aging products in many aspects. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Natural Product: Extraction, Separation, Purification, Essential Oils and Functional Product Development)
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19 pages, 5284 KiB  
Article
Bioinformatics-Guided Identification of Ethyl Acetate Extract of Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium as a Functional Food Ingredient with Anti-Inflammatory Potential
by Enyao Ma, Lu Jin, Chunguo Qian, Chong Feng, Zhimin Zhao, Hongru Tian and Depo Yang
Molecules 2022, 27(17), 5435; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules27175435 - 25 Aug 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1858
Abstract
Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium (CRP) is one of the most commonly used food supplements and folk medicines worldwide, and possesses cardiovascular, digestive, and respiratory protective effects partially through its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory functions. The unique aromatic flavor and mild side effects make CRP a [...] Read more.
Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium (CRP) is one of the most commonly used food supplements and folk medicines worldwide, and possesses cardiovascular, digestive, and respiratory protective effects partially through its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory functions. The unique aromatic flavor and mild side effects make CRP a promising candidate for the development of anti-inflammatory functional food. However, recent studies show that the crude alcoholic extract and some isolated compounds of CRP show compromised anti-inflammatory activity, which became the main factor hindering its further development. To identify the bioactive compounds with anti-inflammatory potential, and improve the anti-inflammatory effects of the extract, a bioinformatics-guided extraction protocol was employed in this study. The potential bioactive candidates were identified by combing network pharmacology analysis, molecular docking, principal components analysis, k-means clustering, and in vitro testing of reference compounds. Our results demonstrated that 66 compounds in CRP could be grouped into four clusters according to their docking score profile against 24 receptors, while the cluster containing flavonoids and phenols might possess a more promising anti-inflammatory function. In addition, in vitro anti-inflammatory tests of the seven reference compounds demonstrated that hesperitin, naringenin, and gardenin B, which were grouped into a cluster containing flavonoids and phenols, significantly decreased LPS-induced NO, TNF-α, and IL-6 production of macrophages. While the compounds outside of that cluster, such as neohesperidin, naringin, hesperidin, and sinensetin showed little effect on alleviating LPS-induced NO and proinflammatory cytokine production. Based on the chemical properties of selected compounds, ethyl acetate (EtOAc) was selected as the solvent for extraction, because of its promising solubility of flavonoids and phenols. Furthermore, the ethanol alcoholic extract was used as a reference. The chemical profiling of EtOAc and crude alcoholic extract by HPLC/MS/MS also demonstrated the decreased abundance of flavonoid glycosides in EtOAc extract but increased abundance of phenols, phenolic acid, and aglycones. In accordance with the prediction, the EtOAc extract of CRP, but not the crude alcoholic extract, significantly decreased the NO, IL-6, and TNF-α production. Taken together, the results suggested selective extraction of phenols and flavonoids rich extract was able to increase the anti-inflammatory potential of CRP partially because of the synergistic effects between flavonoids, phenols, and enriched polymethoxyflavones. Our study might pave the road for the development of ethyl acetate extract of CRP as a novel functional food with anti-inflammatory function. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Natural Product: Extraction, Separation, Purification, Essential Oils and Functional Product Development)
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16 pages, 2103 KiB  
Article
Aroma Profile and Biological Effects of Ochradenus arabicus Essential Oils: A Comparative Study of Stem, Flowers, and Leaves
by Obaid Ullah, Muddaser Shah, Najeeb Ur Rehman, Saeed Ullah, Jamal Nasser Al-Sabahi, Tanveer Alam, Ajmal Khan, Nasir Ali Khan, Naseem Rafiq, Saqib Bilal and Ahmed Al-Harrasi
Molecules 2022, 27(16), 5197; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules27165197 - 15 Aug 2022
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1693
Abstract
The present analysis explores the chemical constituents and determines the in vitro antimicrobial, antidiabetic, and antioxidant significance of the essential oils (EOs) of the stem, leaves, and flowers of Ochradenus arabicus for the first time. The EOs of the flowers presented seventy-four constituents [...] Read more.
The present analysis explores the chemical constituents and determines the in vitro antimicrobial, antidiabetic, and antioxidant significance of the essential oils (EOs) of the stem, leaves, and flowers of Ochradenus arabicus for the first time. The EOs of the flowers presented seventy-four constituents contributing to 81.46% of the total EOs, with the major compounds being 24-norursa-3,12-diene (13.06%), 24-norursa-3,12-dien-11-one (6.61%), and 24-noroleana-3,12-diene (6.25%). The stem EOs with sixty-one compounds contributed 95.95% of the total oil, whose main bioactive compounds were (+)-camphene (21.50%), eremophilene (5.87%), and δ-selinene (5.03%), while a minimum of fifty-one compounds in the leaves’ EOs (98.75%) were found, with the main constituents being n-hexadecanoic acid (12.32%), octacosane (8.62%), tetradecanoic acid (8.54%), and prehydro fersenyl acetone (7.27%). The antimicrobial activity of the EOs of O. arabicus stem, leaves, and flowers was assessed against two bacterial strains (Escherichia coli and Streptococcus aureus) and two fungal strains (Penicillium simplicissimum and Rhizoctonia solani) via the disc diffusion assay. However, the EOs extracted from the stem were found effective against one bacterial strain, E. coli, and one fungal strain, R. Solani, among the examined microbes in comparison to the standard and negative control. The tested EOs samples of the O. arabicus stem displayed a maximum potential to cure diabetes with an IC50 = 0.40 ± 0.10 µg/mL, followed by leaves and flowers with an IC50 = 0.71 ± 0.11 µg/mL and IC50 = 10.57 ± 0.18 µg/mL, respectively, as compared to the standard acarbose (IC50 = 377.26 ± 1.20 µg/mL). In addition, the EOs of O. arabicus flowers had the highest antioxidant activity (IC50 = 106.40 ± 0.19 µg/mL) as compared to the standard ascorbic acid (IC50 = 73.20 ± 0.17 µg/mL) using the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay. In the ABTS assay, the EOs of the same sample (flower) depicted the utmost potential to scavenge the free radicals with an IC50 = 178.0 ± 0.14 µg/mL as compared with the ascorbic acid, having an IC50 of 87.34 ± 0.10 µg/mL the using 2,2-Azino-Bis-3-Ethylbenzothiazoline-6-Sulfonic acid (ABTS) assay. The EOs of all parts of O. arabicus have useful bioactive components due to which they present antidiabetic and antioxidant significance. Furthermore, additional investigations are considered necessary to expose the responsible components of the examined biological capabilities, which would be effective in the production of innovative drugs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Natural Product: Extraction, Separation, Purification, Essential Oils and Functional Product Development)
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