Translational Experimental Pharmacology of Bioactive Peptides from Natural Sources

Natural products continue to provide a rich reservoir of bioactive molecules with therapeutic potential. Bioactive peptides, short amino acid sequences from marine organisms, plants, fungi, and microorganisms, display diverse pharmacological activities including antimicrobial, anticancer, immunomodulatory, neuroprotective, and anti-inflammatory effects. While traditional screening has identified many clinically relevant peptides, a vast fraction of natural sources remains unexplored, representing untapped opportunities for drug discovery.

This Research Topic emphasizes experimental pharmacology approaches to evaluate and optimize natural peptides, bridging discovery and translational potential. Contributions should focus on experimental strategies for assessing pharmacological activity, pharmacokinetics, and formulation, without overlapping with preclinical mechanistic modeling of engineered peptides and proteins.

Areas of interest include, but are not limited to:

Phenotypic and high-throughput screening approaches for natural peptide activity.
Experimental assessment of bioavailability, stability, and pharmacokinetic behavior.
Chemical proteomics, metabolomics, or AI/ML-guided prioritization of bioactive peptides.
Optimization strategies including peptide modification and advanced delivery systems.
Quality, standardization, and reproducibility in peptide-based studies.
Sustainable and ethical sourcing of peptide-rich natural materials.

Submissions should demonstrate experimental evaluation of pharmacological activity and translational relevance, providing insights into the development of natural bioactive peptides as potential therapeutics.

To be eligible for peer review, all manuscripts must comply with The Four Pillars of Ethnopharmacology. You can freely download the full version here. Please be aware that any submissions to Frontiers in Pharmacology that involve plant extracts or preparations must meet these four pillars as the minimum standard for sample characterization. Please also evaluate your manuscript using the ConPhyMP tool and ensure compliance with the standards outlined in the ConPhyMP statement (Front. Pharmacol. 13:953205).