Phytochemicals as Bioactive Agents focuses on the mechanisms of action of phytochemicals identified as displaying bioactivity in the prevention of cancer, heart disease and other diseases and the prospects for developing functional foods containing these bioactive compounds. Internationally recognized experts present the latest research findings on the antimutagenic and anticarcinogenic effects of tea and tea constituents; chemoprevention provided by plants in the family Cruciferae and genus Allium; anticarcinogenic effects of carotenoids and curcumins; the chemistry and application of alfalfa saponins; the bioactive components of rice bran and rice oil; the effects of garlic on lowering serum cholesterol; and using phytochemicals to optimize gastrointestinal tract health and function.

This book comprehensively reviews the phytochemistry, functional properties, and health-promoting effects of bioactive compounds found in oil processing by-products, and it also explores the food and non-food applications of these by-products. Several oilseeds, vegetables, and fruits are cultivated for their oils and fats, wherein the oil extraction industry generates a huge amount of waste (meal or cake). The valorisation of this waste would be very beneficial not only from the economic and environmental perspectives, but also for the potential applications in food, cosmetics and pharmaceutical industries, in which phytochemicals derived from vegetable oil and oilseed processing by-products play an important role in, for instance, extending the shelf life of several products and providing added-value properties with their antioxidant and antimicrobial properties. In this work, expert contributors discuss about the added-value of biowaste from common and non-traditional vegetable oils and oilseeds processing, as well as fruit oils processing, and offer an extensive overview of the different bioactive compounds found in extracts from oil processing by-products and their chemical composition. The book also collects several examples in which oil processing by-products are integrated into industrial activities such as food production, livestock production and in pharmaceutical and cosmetics industries. Professionals and scholars alike interested in the recycling of agro-industrial wastes derived from vegetable oil and oilseed processing by-products will find this book a handy reference tool.

Natural bioactive compounds from medicinal plants are inexplicably diverse in chemical structure and biological properties. The unmet therapeutic requirements for various diseases serve as a guide for researchers to study natural compounds. These studies are intended to isolate, identify the structural characterization and eventually discover the pharmacological activity of natural compounds from their plant sources with the goal of treating specific diseases. Bioactive Phytochemicals: Drug Discovery to Product Development explores the scope and approaches of drug discovery from natural products. Chapters in the book cover information about the cultivation, collection and processing of medicinal plants, the methods and high throughput techniques for isolation and characterization of bioactive phytochemicals and pharmacological screening for activity, formulation and quality control. Information about the regulations specified for natural medicinal products in different region of the world is also presented, followed by a concluding chapter devoted to the role of natural herbal products for treatment of human diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, obesity, inflammation and neurological disorders. Each chapter concludes with a general reference section, which is a bibliographic guide to more advanced texts. The contributing authors for this volume are drawn from a rich blend of experts in various areas of herbal medicine which encompass herbal drug discovery to product development. The concise and organized layout along with a broad coverage of phytochemistry and drug discovery makes this book a suitable reference for students of medicinal chemistry, researchers and industry professionals interested in herbal product development.

This book presents comprehensive coverage on the importance of good nutrition in the treatment and management of obesity, cancer and diabetes. Naturally occurring bioactive compounds are ubiquitous in most dietary plants available to humans and provide opportunities for the management of diseases. The text provides information about the major causes of these diseases and their association with nutrition. The text also covers the role of dietary phytochemicals in drug development and their pathways. Later chapters emphasize novel bioactive compounds as anti-diabetic, anti-cancer and anti-obesity agents and describe their mechanisms to regulate cell metabolism. Written by global team of experts, Dietary Phytochemicals: A Source of Novel Bioactive Compounds for the Treatment of Obesity, Cancer and Diabetes describes the potentials of novel phytochemicals, their sources, and underlying mechanism of action. The chapters were drawn systematically and incorporated sequentially to facilitate proper understanding. This book is intended for nutritionists, physicians, medicinal chemists, drug developers in research and development, postgraduate students and scientists in area of nutrition and life sciences.

Functional and Preservative Properties of Phytochemicals examines the potential of plant-based bioactive compounds as functional food ingredients and preservative agents against food-spoiling microbes and oxidative deterioration. The book provides a unified and systematic accounting of plant-based bioactive compounds by illustrating the connections among the different disciplines, such as food science, nutrition, pharmacology, toxicology, combinatorial chemistry, nanotechnology and biotechnological approaches. Chapters present the varied sources of raw materials, biochemical properties, metabolism, health benefits, preservative efficacy, toxicological aspect, safety and Intellectual Property Right issue of plant-based bioactive compounds. Written by authorities within the field, the individual chapters of the book are organized according to the following practical and easy to consult format: introduction, chapter topics and text, conclusions (take-home lessons), and references cited for further reading. - Provides collective information on recent advancements that increase the potential use of phytochemicals - Fosters an understanding of plant-based dietary bioactive ingredients and their physiological effects on human health at the molecular level - Thoroughly explores biotechnology, omics, and bioinformatics approaches to address the availability, cost, and mode of action of plant-based functional and preservative ingredients

A vast array of natural organic compounds, the products of primary and secondary metabolism, occur in plants. This dictionary provides basic information, including structural formulae, on plant constituents. It profiles over 3000 substances from phenolics and alkaloids through carbohydrates and plant glycosides to oils and triterpenoids. For each substance, the author presents the trivial name, synonyms, structural type, chemical structure showing stereochemistry, molecular weight and formula, natural occurrence, biological activity and commercial or other use. Key references are provided for each class and subclass.

Plants are a source of bioactive compounds and specialty chemicals such as ginsenosides; paclitaxel, artemisinin, veregen and nutraceuticals. Biopharmaceuticals are important in human healthcare, and herbal actives are gaining importance all over the world. With natural resources dwindling, in vitro production of secondary compounds on a commercial scale is being more and more required. The difficulties that are increasingly encountered in procuring ample supply of raw plant material because of drastic decrease in natural resources have prompted the adaptation of in vitro technology for commercial production of substances of medicinal importance. Besides providing an alternative technology to bypass the above difficulties, the plant tissue culture (used in a broad sense to include cell, tissue and organ culture) offers many advantages. In vitro technology also facilitates novel means of conserving the genetic diversity of the germplasm of medicinal plants through cryopreservation, and production of novel compounds through biotransformation, somatic hybridization and selective gene transfer through recombinant DNA technology for enhancing the metabolite production. Biotechnological production of bioactive phytochemicals of medicinal value covers a broad variety of methods for secondary metabolites production (both pharmaceuticals and cosmeceuticals), compiling state-of-the-art material about the current knowledge of in vitro production for a large number of bioactive phytochemicals. - Compiles state-of-the-art material about in vitro production for several bioactive phytochemicals - Incorporates the most recent developments in the field - Covers a broad variety of secondary metabolites