Advances in Research on the Medicinal Value of Plants

A special issue of Plants (ISSN 2223-7747). This special issue belongs to the section "Phytochemistry".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 March 2024) | Viewed by 7449

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Research Institute of Integrative Life Sciences, Dongguk University, Goyang-si, Republic of Korea
Interests: antioxidant activity; medicinal plants; functional foods; plant stress; green synthesis
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

For a long time, plants have been used as a principal natural source of alternative medicines and have played a vital role in the life of human civilization. Many of these plants are even considered to be the origin of modern medicine. People have tried to find different sources of medicines to alleviate pain and cure different illnesses. Currently, the bioactive compounds of plant origin have been and still are an important source for the modern drug industries. Due to the unembellished restraints of synthetic drugs and the growing contraindications of their usage, there is a growing interest in the world in the usage of natural products based on medicinal plants and herbs. Subsequently, there is an ever-increasing market for herbs and herbal-based medicinal preparations all over the world. The path-breaking development in research methodology and interdisciplinary scientific approaches in medicinal plant research is giving rise to innovative standpoints. Therefore, it becomes domineering to keep pace with the development of research and progress in the field of medicinal herbs. There are a large number of researchers in different parts of the world working on various aspects of medicinal plants and herbal medicines. The current Special Issue will provide a platform for generating data on more information that is recent and research available in this sphere throughout the world in the form of valuable research, reviews, and mini-reviews on all aspects related to future prospects in medicinal plants and their applications.

Dr. Jayanta Kumar Patra
Dr. Gitishree Das
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. Plants 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

  • diversity and conservation of medicinal plants 
  • phytochemical and bioactive compounds
  • tissue culture, propagation and bioreactor technology
  • ethnomedicine and traditional therapy
  • plant breeding
  • hydroponics and elicitation
  • drug discovery
  • modern medicine

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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15 pages, 4592 KiB  
Article
Effects of Annual Growth Conditions on Phenolic Compounds and Antioxidant Activity in the Roots of Eryngium montanum
by Mónica L. Pérez-Ochoa, Araceli M. Vera-Guzmán, Demetria M. Mondragón-Chaparro, Sadoth Sandoval-Torres, José C. Carrillo-Rodríguez, Netzahualcoyotl Mayek-Pérez and José L. Chávez-Servia
Plants 2023, 12(18), 3192; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12183192 - 06 Sep 2023
Viewed by 727
Abstract
Medicinal plants grown in natural settings are exposed to different adverse environmental conditions that determine their growth and development as well as the composition and concentration of secondary metabolites in their organs. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of [...] Read more.
Medicinal plants grown in natural settings are exposed to different adverse environmental conditions that determine their growth and development as well as the composition and concentration of secondary metabolites in their organs. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of environmental conditions associated with localities and annual growth cycles on the contents of phenolic compounds and flavonoids, antioxidant activity and potentially bioactive phenolic acids in the roots of Eryngium montanum, a medicinal species from temperate Mexico. The samples for composition analysis were collected using a bifactorial design: Factor A consisted of the localities (Morelos and La Unión de San Martin Huamelulpam, Mexico) and Factor B was represented by the annual growth cycle (2020 and 2021). In each sample, the contents of polyphenols and equivalent flavonoids of quercetin and catechin and antioxidant activity were evaluated using spectrophotometry. Subsequently, chlorogenic, caffeic and rosmarinic acids were identified and quantified using high-performance liquid chromatography with diode-array detection (HPLC-DAD). The annual growth conditions and, to a lesser extent, the locality of origin of the samples significantly influenced the contents of phenolic compounds and antioxidant activity. The environmental conditions that occurred in 2021 favored an increase in the contents of phenolic compounds compared to those in 2020, and the same pattern was observed for chlorogenic acid; however, for caffeic and rosmarinic acids, the opposite pattern was observed. The content of phenolic acids in the roots of E. montanum follows different and independent patterns between cycles based on the interaction between the locality of origin and annual growth cycle. This study quantifies the magnitude of the total environmental effect on the phenolic compound concentrations in E. montanum roots, which was measured via sampling during two annual growth cycles, where the sampling locations factor had little influence. The bioactive compounds identified in E. montanum roots have the potential for use as alternative medicines, as mentioned by different families from Oaxaca, Mexico. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Research on the Medicinal Value of Plants)
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Review

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19 pages, 1530 KiB  
Review
The Genus Eranthis: Prospects of Research on Its Phytochemistry, Pharmacology, and Biotechnology
by Andrey S. Erst, Natalia V. Petrova, Olga A. Kaidash, Wei Wang and Vera A. Kostikova
Plants 2023, 12(22), 3795; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12223795 - 07 Nov 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 859
Abstract
This review summarizes information about the chemical composition and beneficial properties of species of the genus Eranthis Salisb. from the world’s flora. To date, seven out of ~14 species found in Asia and parts of Europe have been studied to various degrees. Here, [...] Read more.
This review summarizes information about the chemical composition and beneficial properties of species of the genus Eranthis Salisb. from the world’s flora. To date, seven out of ~14 species found in Asia and parts of Europe have been studied to various degrees. Here, data are presented on the diversity of sets of chromones, furochromones, triterpene saponins, coumarins, and other classes of secondary metabolites of Eranthis species according to the literature. For new compounds—isolated from Eranthis for the first time—structural formulas are also provided. Among the new compounds, chromones and coumarins predominate, as do triterpene saponins of the olean and cycloartane series and lectin. The results of pharmacological studies are presented showing anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antiviral, and other types of biological activities found in extracts, in their fractions, and in individual compounds of the aboveground and underground organs and parts of Eranthis species. Despite the limited geographic range of Eranthis plants, it is possible to search for active substances, develop methods for biological and chemical synthesis of the isolated substances, and create a finished therapeutic substance based on them. In addition, it is feasible to obtain the desired standardized pure materials from Eranthis species grown in vitro. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Research on the Medicinal Value of Plants)
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34 pages, 7881 KiB  
Review
Amazonian Plants: A Global Bibliometric Approach to Petiveria alliacea L. Pharmacological and Toxicological Properties
by Brenda Costa da Conceição, Thales Andrade da Silva, Lucas Villar Pedrosa da Silva Pantoja, Diandra Araújo da Luz, Eloise Karoline Serrão Cardoso, Laryssa Danielle da Silva Reis, Maria Carolina Raiol-da-Silva, Monique Silva Kussler, Cristiane Socorro Ferraz Maia and Enéas Andrade Fontes-Júnior
Plants 2023, 12(18), 3343; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12183343 - 21 Sep 2023
Viewed by 1353
Abstract
Petiveria alliacea L. (Phytolaccaceae) holds significant importance in the Amazon region, where it has been traditionally utilized in folk medicine. In this study, we conducted a comprehensive bibliometric analysis using conventional metrics, combined with a critical content review of its pharmacological and toxicological [...] Read more.
Petiveria alliacea L. (Phytolaccaceae) holds significant importance in the Amazon region, where it has been traditionally utilized in folk medicine. In this study, we conducted a comprehensive bibliometric analysis using conventional metrics, combined with a critical content review of its pharmacological and toxicological properties, to identify gaps in the existing literature that require further investigation. Our investigation identified a total of 55 articles that met the inclusion criteria for this study. Remarkably, Brazil emerged as the primary contributor within the scope of this review, indicating a strong presence of research from this country. Furthermore, professional scientific societies have played a pivotal role in facilitating the dissemination of scientific findings through specialist journals, fostering the sharing of research work within the community. Analysis of keyword co-occurrence revealed that “Petiveria alliacea”, “plant extract”, and “guatemala” were the most frequently encountered terms, indicating their significance within the literature. In terms of study designs, in vivo and in vitro were the predominant types observed, highlighting their prevalence in this field of study. Our study also identified a lack in knowledge yet to be investigated. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Research on the Medicinal Value of Plants)
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13 pages, 2199 KiB  
Review
Benzoin Resin: An Overview on Its Production Process, Phytochemistry, Traditional Use and Quality Control
by Qingqin He, Yuanyuan Sun, Xiqin Chen, Jian Feng and Yangyang Liu
Plants 2023, 12(10), 1976; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12101976 - 14 May 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 3331
Abstract
Benzoin is a pathologic exudation produced by plants of the family Styrax. It is secreted by traumatic resin ducts after injury, which are derived from parenchymal cells in secondary xylem by schizolysigeny. Some 63 chemical constituents have been isolated and identified from [...] Read more.
Benzoin is a pathologic exudation produced by plants of the family Styrax. It is secreted by traumatic resin ducts after injury, which are derived from parenchymal cells in secondary xylem by schizolysigeny. Some 63 chemical constituents have been isolated and identified from this resin, including balsamic acid esters, lignans and terpenoids. It has a long history of applications, including as incense along with olibanum, a flavor enhancer in the food industry, materials in the daily chemistry industry as well as therapeutic uses. Up to now, high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS) have been widely used in qualitative and quantitative analysis of benzoin. Other technologies, including near-infrared reflectance spectroscopy (NIR), proton transfer reaction time-of-flight mass spectrometry (PTR-ToF-MS) and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), have also been used to distinguish different resins. Herein, this paper provides a comprehensive overview of the production process, phytochemistry, traditional uses and quality control of benzoin and looks to the future for promoting its further research and applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Research on the Medicinal Value of Plants)
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