Title

Natural Products in Microenvironment Regulation: From Basic Research to Clinical Applications

Description

Natural products remain essential sources of structurally diverse and biologically active molecules for drug discovery. Advances in phytochemistry, pharmacology, and biotechnology demonstrate that natural compounds can modulate complex biological pathways involved in diseases such as cancer, infections, inflammation, and metabolic disorders. Increasing evidence highlights the ability of natural molecules to influence disease microenvironments, including cellular signalling, immune responses, and metabolic regulation. This special issue focuses on recent advances in the discovery, structural characterisation, and pharmacological evaluation of natural bioactive compounds and their derivatives. Particular emphasis is placed on studies elucidating molecular mechanisms of action and interactions with disease microenvironments, as well as strategies to enhance therapeutic efficacy through chemical modification, nanoformulation, and advanced drug delivery systems. By integrating natural product chemistry, pharmacology, biotechnology, and nanomedicine, this issue aims to provide a multidisciplinary platform for advancing natural molecules as innovative therapeutic leads.

Topics

Pharmacology and Therapeutic Applications

• Anticancer natural products

• Natural compounds targeting antimicrobial resistance

• Anti-inflammatory and antioxidant natural compounds

• Natural products modulating cellular signalling pathways

Nanotechnology and Drug Delivery

• Nanoformulations of natural products

• Nanoparticle-based delivery systems for bioactive compounds

• Nanomedicine approaches to improve therapeutic efficacy

Disease Microenvironment Studies

• Natural compounds targeting the tumour microenvironment

• Natural products regulating immune responses

• Microbiome–natural product interactions

Content types

Research articles, review articles, letters, commentaries, and perspectives

Deadline

October 31, 2026

Guest editors

Patrícia Rijo

Professor

CBIOS – Universidade Lusófona / iMed.ULisboa, University of Lisbon

Research area: Natural products chemistry, pharmacology of medicinal plants, and bioactive compounds for therapeutic applications

Email: patricia.rijo@ulusofona.pt

Przemysław Sitarek

Professor

Medical University of Lodz

Research area: Natural bioactive compounds, medicinal plant biotechnology, and pharmacological evaluation of anticancer and antimicrobial agents

Email: przemyslaw.sitarek@umed.lodz.pl

Fabio Boylan

Professor

Trinity College Dublin

Research area: Pharmacognosy and natural product chemistry, focusing on phytochemical analysis, isolation of bioactive compounds from medicinal plants, and evaluation of their biological and pharmacological activities

Email: Fabio.Boylan@tcd.ie

Submission guidelines

Please submit your paper through our online submission system. All papers will be peer-reviewed. The submission deadline is October 31, 2026. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together. Research articles, review articles, letters, commentaries, and perspectives are invited.

hLife adopts format-free submission. Format-free submission means that, provided you include everything necessary for review and using a consistent citation format, you can submit your paper without needing to worry about formatting your manuscript to meet hLife’s requirements.

Please state in the cover letter that your submission is for the special section of “Natural Products in Microenvironment Regulation: From Basic Research to Clinical Applications”. Article Publishing Charges (APCs) for accepted papers of hLife will be waived by December 2026. 

Submission website

https://www.editorialmanager.com/hlife