The demand for healthy ingredients and a natural way of preventing diseases is contributing to the increased use of natural matrices. There has been a lot of research indicating that general antioxidant properties are not the contributing factors to the improvement of human health, but rather the antioxidant properties of specific compounds involved in specific cell signalling mechanisms that need to be elucidated. In this way, beyond the composition of the usual macronutrients and micronutrients, it seems important to also provide information on the composition of natural bioactive compounds. Phytochemicals such as phenolic compounds, essential oils, steroids, vitamins, or pigments should be assumed to be of high importance due to their documented antioxidant, antimicrobial, antitumour, and anti-inflammatory properties, among others, but the knowledge of the mechanisms of action involved is mandatory.

Contributions to this issue, both in form of original research and review articles, may cover all aspects of nutraceuticals and phytochemicals in natural matrices with proven activities in various in vitro or in vivo models, for example, structural characterization and/or isolation of phytochemicals with bioactivity; chemical, biological, or biochemical methods for the evaluation of in vivo and in vitro bioactivity; screening of toxicity related to natural matrices; clinical and nutritional trials focused on the bioactive properties of phytochemicals; and elucidation of the mechanisms of action of bioactive compounds. Protocols for the development of nutraceuticals from these natural matrices will be welcomed. Papers reporting scientific evidence that supports ethnopharmacological uses of natural matrices will be also taken into consideration. Potential topics include, but are not limited to:

• Analytical technologies applied to natural products
• Recent advances in phytochemical health benefits and mechanisms of action
• Bioactivity of natural matrices and products
• Toxicity of natural matrices and products
• Recent developments in nutraceuticals
• Natural products and matrices in drug discovery

Before submission authors should carefully read over the journal’s Author Guidelines, which are located at http://www.hindawi.com/journals/bmri/guidelines/. Prospective authors should submit an electronic copy of their complete manuscript through the journal Manuscript Tracking System at http://mts.hindawi.com/submit/journals/bmri/toxicology/bnm/ according to the following timetable: