Nutraceuticals flavonoids

Seabuckthom (Hippophae rhamnoides) fruits, very rich in phytochemicals and demonstrated to be excellent sources of natural food colorants (carotenoids and flavonoids) are increasingly used as food ingredients and nutraceuticals... 

The raison d etre for the proliferation of flavone and flavonol glycosides in nature continues to intrigue plant scientists. The ability of UV-B radiation to damage DNA, RNA, and proteins as well as to impair processes like photosynthesis is well known. Most flavonoids are very efficient antioxidants and chemoprotectants, and are therefore used in a plethora of food supplements and nutraceuticals [30]. Some flavonoids, however, have a Janus face - they could be excellent antioxidants but also have negative features. 

Sivam, G., Analysis of flavonoids, in Methods of Analysis for Functional Foods and Nutraceuticals, Hurst, W.J., Ed., CRC Press, Boca Raton, 363, 2002. 

The flavonoid pathway is an important source of small molecules with nutraceutical and drug discovery potential due to their potent bioactivity against several human diseases [reviewed by Lin and Weng, 2006 Ross and... 

Epidemiological studies have indicated that high consumption of vegetables and fruits rich in both flavonoids and carotenoids could reduce the risk of various cancers. Common fruits and vegetables contain approximately 40-50 carotenoids, and many of these could be selected as nutraceuticals with diverse functionalities [20]. 

A number of compounds found in foods of plant origin have potentially protective effects, although they cannot be considered to be dietary essentials they are variously known as phytonutrients, phytoceuticals, or nutraceuticals. Such compounds include allyl sulfur compounds, flavonoids, glucosinolates, and phytoestrogens. 

The health benefits of food and food constituents is currently gaining much attention. New biotechnological techniques allow the enrichment of food with micro- and macro-nutrients such as rice with high levels of vitamin A, tomatoes with extra flavonoids and also milk with additional calcium. These frmctional foods are often coimected with health benefits. Specific food constituents in a pharmaceutical formulation are called nutraceuticals. These are frequently associated with medical claims. 

Diseases of the heart and circulatory system, cardiovascular diseases, have long been the leading cause of mortality in Europe and North America, and total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol are the two most important risk factors for coronary heart disease. Decreased arterial compliance of the arteries is thought to contribute to systolic hypertension and coronary artery insufficiency. A number of nutraceuticals have been used for long-term prevention or symptom reduction in cardiovascular diseases, notably soy products, tea flavonoids, octacosanol, n-3-polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), and, to a lesser extent, melatonin, Pycnogenol, resveratrol, coenzyme QIO, lycopene, and DHEA. 

Anthocyanins are a proanthocyanidin-type of flavonoid distributed in various fruits. These anthocyanins are the most important visible plant pigments in the natural kingdom. Anthocyanins have been clinically used in many folklore medicines worldwide for the treatment of age-related diseases and other disease. This review presents the functionality of anthocyanins in relation to their chemistry, synthetic pathway, antioxidant activity, antitumor activity (including apoptosis-inducing activity), pharmacodynamics (absorption, metabolism, distribution, and excretion) and toxicity, and discusses their possible use as food and dietary supplements and usage in potential nutraceuticals. 

There are an abundance of colorful and multifunctional phy to chemicals or nutraceuticals such as carotenoids, xanthophylls, flavonoids, and anthocyanins in nature. These colorful phytochemicals are present in our daily intake of fruits and vegetables, and sometimes from shrimp and sea fish. Additionally, the colorful phytochemicals are also distributed in processed foods such as juices, jams, teas, wines, infusions and decoctions, extracts, and other... 

Fruits and vegetables contain abundant nutraceuticals or phytochemicals such as carbohydrates, proteins, lipids, vitamins, enzymes, dietary fibers, minerals, antioxidants, flavonoids, and anthocyanins and other diverse components including trace chemicals. Interestingly, the flavonoids and anthocyanins in phy to chemicals could be significantly associated with reductions of risk of cardiovascular disease, macular degeneration, and improvements and preventions of many other diseases. 

It is hoped that this volume could lead to advances in the medicinal chemistry of flavonoids and anthocyanins in relation to human health and lead to higher interest among researchers in the field of phytochemical nutraceuticals, especially flavonoids and anthocyanins. 

FLAVONOIDS AS NUTRACEUTICALS STRUCTURAL RELATED ANTIOXIDANT PROPERTIES AND THEIR ROLE ON ASCORBIC ACID PRESERVATION... 

Although they can be found in limited amounts in fruits such as apples, cherries and pears, they also occur in considerable amounts in tea, particularly in the green type, and in smaller amounts in black grapes and red wine [1, 29], The summary in table 1 shows some natural sources of the reported flavonoids and their most relevant properties as nutraceuticals. 

Class of flavonoid Example Food Sources Nutraceutical properties Concentration (mg/kg)... 

Guthrie N, Kurowska EM. Anticancer and cholesterol lowering activities of citrus flavonoids. In Wildman REC, Ed. Handbook of Nutraceuticals and Eunctional Foods. Boca Raton, EL CRC Press, 2001 113-126. 

Bravo L, Mateos R (2008) Analysis of flavonoids in functional foods and nutraceuticals. In Hurst WJ (ed) Methods of analysis for functional foods and nutraceuticals, 2nd edn. CRC press/Taylor and Francis, Boca Raton... 

Aviram M, Dornfeld L, Kaplan M, Coleman R, Gaitini D, Nitecki S, Hoffman A, Rosenblat M, Volkova N, Presser D, Attias J, Hayek T, Fuhrman B. Pomegranate juice flavonoids inhibit LDL oxidation and cardiovascular diseases studies in atherosclerotic mice and in humans. Proc Int Conf Mech Action Nutraceuticals (ICMAN). 2002 28 49-62. 

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