Recent Advances in Redox Active Plant and Microbial Products : From Basic Chemistry to Widespread Applications in Medicine and Agriculture

Nature endows us with a treasure chest of Green Gold full of amazing ‘redox-active’ substances which interfere with numerous biological processes in our own body, in animals, bacteria, fungi and plants. Whilst such natural products are all around and also in us, we still do not fully understand how these compounds actually work. This book attempts to resolve some of the mysteries and riddles associated with such products. Written by more than thirty international experts from academia and industry, it places a focus on modern developments in this field and considers such natural products from various angles, from their isolation and characterization all along to product development and commercialization. Throughout, the reader will be confronted with modern approaches which enable the efficient identification and isolation of new natural products, help to elucidate their mode(s) of action and permit practical uses in Medicine, Cosmetics, Agriculture, Industry and as functional foods. Nature endows us with a treasure chest of Green Gold full of amazing substances we can use as part of our daily life. Many of these compounds are 'redox-active', and hence able to trigger or interfere with numerous biological processes which occur in our own body, in animals, bacteria, fungi and plants. The resulting, often rather astonishing events witnessed once such natural products meet biological systems, are omnipresent. We protect our body from damage with the help of (redox-active) vitamins, use redox-active antioxidants on our skin to look better and younger and even try to slow down the natural ageing process by stimulating sirtuins and meddling with epigenetic processes. We habitually consume functional foods enriched in polyphenols, for instance in form of grape seed flour, use redox-active plant metabolites as medicines and also spray them on our roses in the hope to improve our own life and the ones of our beloved shrubs. Amazingly, whilst such natural products are all around and also in us, we still do not fully understand how these compounds actually work. This book therefore attempts to resolve some of the mysteries and riddles associated with such products. Written by more than thirty international experts from academia and industry, the book places a firm focus on modern, forward-looking developments in this field and considers such natural products from various angles, from their isolation and characterization all along to product development, licensing and commercialization. Throughout, the reader will be confronted with a medley of modern approaches which enable the fast and efficient identification and isolation of new natural products, help to elucidate their biochemical mode(s) of action and form the basis for their practical uses in Medicine, Cosmetics, Agriculture, Industry and as functional foods. Emerging new techniques, such as extraction and purification methods based on supercritical fluids, cutting-edge mass spectrometry for rapid identification, nanocrystals to improve bioavailability, synthetic chemistry to create hybrid molecules and product development to arrive at commercially viable products will be portrayed. Ultimately, the book provides a better understanding of the field of redox-active secondary metabolites and also attempts to stimulate further interest in this amazing, facet-rich and thriving area of multidisciplinary research and product development Front Matter....Pages i-xiv Introduction....Pages 1-11 Front Matter....Pages 13-13 Antioxidants: A Premature Scientific Hypothesis that Reshuffled the Traditional Food Pyramid....Pages 15-28 Front Matter....Pages 29-30 The Modern Art of Identification of Natural Substances in Whole Plants....Pages 31-94 Front Matter....Pages 95-96 A Word on Redox....Pages 97-116 Front Matter....Pages 117-117 Oxidative Stress, Antioxidants, and Chemoprevention: On the Role of Oxidant-Induced Signaling in Cellular Adaptation....Pages 119-146 Front Matter....Pages 147-147 The French Paradox at Tea Time: From Antioxidant Flavonoids and Stilbenes Toward Bio-inspired Synthetic Derivatives....Pages 149-189 Front Matter....Pages 191-191 Bioreactivity of Resveratrol Toward Inflammation Processes....Pages 193-207 Front Matter....Pages 209-210 Flavanols and Proanthocyanidins....Pages 211-232 Front Matter....Pages 233-234 The Cellular ‘Thiolstat’ as an Emerging Potential Target of Some Plant Secondary Metabolites....Pages 235-262 Front Matter....Pages 263-263 Thiosulfinates, Organic Polysulfanes, and Related Compounds: From an Unusual Chemistry Toward a Wealth of Potential Applications....Pages 265-288 Front Matter....Pages 289-289 Beyond Glutathione: Different Low Molecular Weight Thiols as Mediators of Redox Regulation and Other Metabolic Functions in Lower Organisms....Pages 291-320 Front Matter....Pages 321-321 How to Turn the Chemistry of Garlic into a ‘Botanical’ Pesticide....Pages 323-341 Front Matter....Pages 343-343 Phytol: A Chlorophyll Component with Anti-inflammatory and Metabolic Properties....Pages 345-359 Front Matter....Pages 361-362 Recent Advances in Molecular Genetics of Furanocoumarin Synthesis in Higher Plants....Pages 363-375 Front Matter....Pages 377-378 Natural Products Molten Together: Toward Multifunctional Hybrid Molecules with Specific Activities and Applications....Pages 379-397 Front Matter....Pages 399-400 Nanotaxis for Antioxidants....Pages 401-421 Front Matter....Pages 423-424 Haloperoxidase Enzymes as ‘Redox Catalysts’ Important for Industrial Biocatalysis....Pages 425-446 Front Matter....Pages 447-448 Systemic Enzyme Therapy: Fact or Fiction? A Review with Focus on Bromelains, Proteolytic Enzymes from the Pineapple Plant....Pages 449-467 Front Matter....Pages 469-469 Some Personal Conclusions....Pages 471-475 Back Matter....Pages 477-482