IBIMOL   23987
INSTITUTO DE BIOQUIMICA Y MEDICINA MOLECULAR PROFESOR ALBERTO BOVERIS
Unidad Ejecutora - UE
artículos
Título:
Flavonoids: antioxidants in vitro. Nutritional antioxidants in vivo?
Autor/es:
C. G. FRAGA
Revista:
IUBMB LIFE
Referencias:
Año: 2007 p. 308 - 315
ISSN:
1521-6543
Resumen:
Epidemiological evidence demonstrates that diets rich in fruit
and vegetables promote health, and attenuate, or delay, the onset
of various diseases, including cardiovascular disease, diabetes,
certain cancers, and several other age-related degenerative
disorders. The chemical components and the physiological and
molecular mechanisms by which fruit and vegetables reduce the
risk for these pathophysiological conditions are matters of intense
investigation. Regarding plant components, polyphenols are a
group of phytochemicals that are gaining acceptance as
responsible for the health benefits offered by fruit and vegetables.
Because of their chemical structure, plant polyphenols are able to
scavenge free radicals and inactivate other pro-oxidants. The
connection of these chemical properties to a physiological
antioxidant action has triggered extensive research aimed to
relate the consumption of plant polyphenols with human health.
Although significant progress has been made, there are still
some critical areas that need to be elucidated to arrive at
definitive conclusions on the mechanisms linking plant polyphenol
consumption, reduction in oxidative damage, and health improvement.
Some of these topics will be discussed in this review
of alternative molecular mechanisms, based on polyphenolmembranes
and polyphenol-proteins interactions that develop in
an antioxidant protection but are not directly related to free
radical scavenging or metal chelating.