Anthocyanins and Their Health Benefits
Robert E.C. Wildman, Richard S. Bruno in Handbook of Nutraceuticals and Functional Foods, 2019
Anthocyanins (ACNs) are a class of flavonoids that give many fruits and vegetables their red, blue, or purple coloration. The color of ACNs, as well as their stability, is dependent on the pH of the environment. ACNs are one of the most common plant bioactive compounds, with more than 600 variations. A bioactive compound is a compound that is not essential to maintain bodily functions but has pronounced effects on living tissue. ACNs are examples of bioactive food components that exhibit anti-proliferative and anti-inflammatory activity and can counter carcinogenesis both in vitro and in vivo. This chapter will provide a discussion of the characteristics, synthesis, and bioavailability of ACNs, as well as their digestion and excretion pathways. It also discusses their anti-inflammatory and proapoptotic properties that influence several diseases such as heart disease and cancer. Finally, we discuss the new frontiers in ACN research.1
Applications of Marine Biochemical Pathways to Develop Bioactive and Functional Products
Se-Kwon Kim in Marine Biochemistry, 2023
Bioactive compounds, or bioactive ingredients, are compounds that are present in foods, animals, or plants that influence the body once consumed (Fernandes et al., 2019). They are phytochemicals, which can be extracted from food or food by-products and are able to regulate metabolic functions leading to beneficial effects (Galanakis, 2017). Marine sources supply a vast array of bioactive molecules, such as collagen, peptides, polyunsaturated fatty acids, chitin, antioxidant compounds, and catalysts in biodiesel synthesis (Mutalipassi et al., 2021). Aquatic product processing industries produce huge amounts of marine waste through processing by-products that contain valuable bioactive compounds and proteins, which can be used to treat high-risk disorders and/or diseases (Grienke et al., 2014).
Plant Diversity and Ethnobotanical Perspective of Odisha
Jayanta Kumar Patra, Gitishree Das, Sanjeet Kumar, Hrudayanath Thatoi in Ethnopharmacology and Biodiversity of Medicinal Plants, 2019
Bioactive compounds in plants are complex molecules produced by plants having pharmacological or toxicological effects on humans or other organisms. Phylogenetically, the ability of producing typical bioactive compounds, loosely termed as secondary metabolites, can vary. The secondary bioactive compounds in plants are synthesized non-constitutively but hold important function in plants. For example, flavonoids can protect against free radicals generated during photosynthesis. Terpenoids may attract pollinators or seed dispersers, or inhibit competing plants. Alkaloids usually ward off herbivore animals or insect attacks (phytoalexins). Surveys of plant-derived pure compounds used as drugs conducted by countries with WHO-Traditional Medicine Centers have identified 122 compounds. Of these, 80% were used for the same or related medicinal purposes and were derived from only 94 plant species (Farnsworth et al., 1985). Some notable examples of bioactive compounds in drug formulations are galegine, derived from Galega officinalis L., served as a model for metformin and bisguanidine-type in antidiabetic drugs synthesis and papaverine derived from Papaver somniferum is an active constituent of hypertension drugs like verapamil (Fabricant and Farnsworth, 2001). In addition, the latter plant is the best source of painkillers such as morphine and codeine (Buss et al., 2003), but probably the best examples of ethnomedicine’s role in guiding drug discovery and development is that of the antimalarial drugs, particularly quinine and artemisinin.
The preventive effect of aqueous extract of Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) leaves against the nephrotoxicity of carbon tetrachloride in mice
Published in Archives of Physiology and Biochemistry, 2020
Houda Hamed, Salha Boulila, Ferdaws Ghrab, Rim Kallel, Tahia Boudawara, Abdelfattah El Feki
Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) is a native Mediterranean small green shrub with pale blue flowers that bloom in late winter and early spring. Rosemary and its constituents, especially caffeic acid derivatives such as rosmarinic acid, have a therapeutic potential in treatment or prevention of bronchial asthma, spasmogenic disorders, peptic ulcers, inflammation diseases, hepatotoxicity, atherosclerosis, ischemic heart disease, cataracts and cancer (Al-Sereiti et al. 1999) and cardiotoxicity (Hamed et al. 2018b). Rosemary leaves or extracts were found to contain high antioxidant activity. These effective biological activities have been attributed to the presence of various bioactive compounds in its composition. The main families found in rosemary are phenolic diterpenes including carnosic acid, carnosol or rosmanol; flavonoids such as genkwanin, cirsimaritin or homoplantaginin; and triterpenes such as ursolic acid (Bai et al. 2010). This effectiveness of rosemary extracts as antioxidants have caused their commercial exploitation (Jadhav et al. 1996).
Solvent Extraction and Gas Chromatography–Mass Spectrometry Analysis of Annona squamosa L. Seeds for Determination of Bioactives, Fatty Acid/Fatty Oil Composition, and Antioxidant Activity
Published in Journal of Dietary Supplements, 2018
Mohammad Zahid, Muhammad Arif, Md. Akhlaquer Rahman, Kuldeep Singh, Mohd Mujahid
The analysis and extraction of plant material play an important role in the development, modernization, and quality control of herbal formulations. Hence, the present study was aimed to find the bioactive compounds present in the ethanolic and n-hexane fractions of A. squamosa using gas chromatography–mass spectroscopy (GC-MS). Crude ethanolic extract contains both polar and nonpolar phytoconstituents. The sequential extraction helps in separation of these polar and nonpolar phytoconstituents in respective ethanol and n-hexane solvent system and thus easy identification and further isolation of compounds of interest. Phytochemical analysis showed numerous bioactive compounds, including steroids, flavonoids, terpenoids, fatty acids, and different types of ester compounds. The chromatograms obtained by ethanolic and n-hexane fractions of A. squamosa seed extract are shown in Figures 1 and 2, respectively. The active principle, area of the peak, concentration (%), and retention time are presented in Tables 1 and 2 respectively.
The Evolving Roles of Bacopa monnieri as Potential Anti-Cancer Agent: A Review
Published in Nutrition and Cancer, 2021
Sudeepa Ghosh, Rahmat Khanam, Avik Acharya Chowdhury
In recent times, cancer has become one of the most common and fatal diseases of mankind. Some types of it manifests very aggressively and leads to devastating fate if goes untreated at the right time. Initially, synthetic drugs and surgeries have been the only provision to treat cancer. But due to their natural ability, cancer tend to relapse and even develop resistance against such chemical drugs. These adverse conditions have driven the scientists to develop nontoxic yet effective drugs with natural origin. Various studies have documented many plants with potential anticancer efficacy. The molecules with such potential are biologically active and synthesized by the plants naturally. This renders easy availability of the phytochemicals and in turn their testing procedure. These bioactive compounds have helped to develop effective nontoxic and affordable cancer treating avenue in a wholesome manner. B monnieri extract has successfully exhibited antimutagenic and free radical scavenging activities in in vitro condition on human lymphocytes, without showing any genotoxic activity (8). It has surely opened up a new path for more such research work. In addition to that, the standardized plant extract has proven to function successfully against both clastogen and carcinogens (8).