Natural Product-Derived Antimalarials: Promising Extracts, Fractions, and Lead Compounds

Malaria remains a major global health challenge and continues to impose a substantial burden across endemic regions, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. Although important progress has been made in prevention and treatment, the emergence and spread of antimalarial drug resistance threatens recent gains and reinforces the need for new therapeutic options. Natural products have historically been a rich source of antimalarial agents and continue to offer exceptional chemical diversity for lead discovery. Extracts, fractions, and purified molecules from plants, microbes, marine organisms, and other natural sources provide valuable opportunities for identifying new antiplasmodial candidates. With advances in bioassay-guided fractionation, metabolomics, dereplication, mechanism-based screening, and translational pharmacology, natural-product research is increasingly well positioned to contribute to the next generation of antimalarial interventions.This Research Topic aims to bring together innovative and methodologically rigorous studies focused on the discovery and development of antimalarial candidates from natural products. We seek contributions that explore promising crude extracts, enriched fractions, and isolated molecules with demonstrated activity against Plasmodium species, including drug-resistant strains. The topic is intended to provide an interdisciplinary platform linking ethnopharmacology, natural products chemistry, parasitology, pharmacology, and early drug discovery. We particularly welcome work that advances understanding beyond preliminary activity reports, including studies on phytochemical profiling, compound isolation and structural elucidation, mechanisms of action, toxicity and selectivity, pharmacokinetic relevance, and synergistic interactions. Reviews synthesizing current progress and challenges in natural-product-based antimalarial discovery are also encouraged. Overall, this Research Topic seeks to highlight high-quality research that can accelerate the translation of biodiversity-derived bioactives into credible leads for malaria treatment and control.This Research Topic welcomes Original Research, Reviews, and other article types relevant to antimalarial discovery from natural products. Topics of interest include medicinal plant extracts, microbial and marine natural products, bioassay-guided fractionation, isolation of active constituents, structural characterization, in vitro and in vivo antiplasmodial evaluation, resistance-focused studies, mechanism-of-action investigations, safety profiling, and preclinical assessment of promising leads. Submissions using metabolomics, dereplication tools, computational approaches, or studies of synergistic combinations are also encouraged. Authors should ensure strong methodological rigor, reproducibility, and appropriate statistical analysis. Manuscripts on crude extracts should include adequate chemical characterization and clear discussion of standardization. All submissions will undergo Frontiers’ peer review and should follow the journal’s author guidelines and editorial policies. Topic editors: Sonali Mishra, MULAKA MARUTHI Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/81193/natural-product-derived-antimalarials-promising-extracts-fractions-and-lead-compounds