Plant Phenolics and Human Health: Biochemistry, Nutrition and Pharmacology

C. G. FRAGA

Wiley-IUBMB

Año: 2010 p. 608

9780470287217

PLANT PHENOLICS AND HUMAN HEALTH: BIOCHEMISTRY, NUTRITION AND PHARMACOLOGY Preface: Cesar G. Fraga In association with the well known health benefits associated with the consumption of a fruit and vegetable-rich diet, research on the protective effects of plant-derived phenolic and polyphenolic compounds has developed notably in recent years. In particular, studies on their antioxidant properties have been the target of extensive research. These compounds also display an array of chemical reactions in vitro which, if confirmed in vivo, can also contribute to their health promoting effects. It is now emerging that phenolic compounds, and their metabolites produced in the body after ingestion, as well as acting as antioxidants can, in low concentrations, exert modulatory effects in cells through selective actions on different components of the intracellular signaling cascades, which are vital for cellular functions such as growth, proliferation and apoptosis.. This book provides the latest evidences of these concepts. The strategy behind the selection of the themes was to provide a rational presentation of basic and applied research on phenolic compounds and their potential protective effects on health.  The first chapters are on the identification, metabolism, and basic mechanisms affecting phenolic actions in biological systems. The book then develops in a series of pivotal chapters addressing the effects of flavonoids, stilbenes, and curcuminoids, on cardiovascular disease, cancer, and neurodegeneration. The final chapter is on the complex functions that phenolics perform in plants, as a model that can help to better understand their effects on animal physiology. Explanations are essentially centered in applying basic biochemical mechanisms to improve nutrition and/or developing pharmacological strategies. As being part of a series launched under the umbrella of the IUBMB, the volume was thought to tackle not only the cutting edge research, but also to provide a source for basic, educational information. The target audience includes not only scientists and health professionals, but also educators and students, policy makers, food and pharmaceutical developers, and many others interested in understanding how plant-derived phenolic compounds can affect human health and so, in part, explains how fruit and vegetables play a key role in enhancing human health I want to thank the group of outstanding scientists that provided individual chapters of the highest quality and readability. I also want to thank to all who in different ways collaborated with me from in the conception to the eventual production of this book. Special thanks are due to Dr. Laura Valdez and Dr. Andrea Galatro at the University of Buenos Aires, who were fundamental in reading and editing several of the chapters.