Dietary Phytochemicals: As a Natural Source of Antioxidants

Since time immemorial, plants are used as the source of food and medicine. It can be traced back to the start of humanity. Bringing plant-based food, such as fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, rich in phytochemicals, with beneficial nutrients, opens the door for healthy living. The health benefits are partly attributed to the compounds which possess antioxidants. Several epidemiological observations have shown an opposite relationship between consumption of plant-based foods, rich in phytochemicals, and many diseases including cancer. The majority of the ailments are related to oxidative stress induced by free radicals. Free radicals are extremely unstable with a very short half-life, highly reactive molecule which leads to oxidative damage to macromolecules such as proteins, DNA, and lipids. Free radical induced cellular inflammation appears to be a major contributing factor to cause aging, and degenerative diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, hepatic diseases, renal ailments, and brain dysfunction. Free radicals have been caught up in the pathogenesis of several diseases. Providentially, free radical formation is controlled naturally by phytochemicals, through their antioxidant potential which plays a key role in preventing many diseases including cancer by suppressing oxidative stress-induced DNA damage. Keeping these facts in mind, an attempt has been made to highlight the oxidative stress, enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidant, dietary phytochemicals and their role of in disease prevention and cure

Chemomodulatory effect of <i style="">Dolichos biflorus</i> Linn.<i style=""> </i>on skin and forestomach papillomagenesis in Swiss albino mice

483-490Effect of consumption of three different doses (2%, 4% and 6%, w/w) of Dolichos biflorus Linn. seeds on hepatic drug metabolizing enzymes, antioxidant enzymes, reduced glutathione content, lactate dehydrogenase and lipid peroxidation in Swiss albino mice has been reported. Anti-carcinogenic effect has been studied by 7,12-dimethylbenzanthracene (DMBA)-induced skin and benzo(a)pyrene[B(a)P]-induced forestomach papillomagenesis models. D. biflorus consumption resulted in a significant increase in hepatic carcinogen metabolizing enzyme systems especially at 4% and 6% doses. Significant increase in reduced glutathione content (GSH) and specific activities of antioxidant enzymes such as superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GPX) and glutathione reductase (GR) in liver of mice, at 4% and 6% doses has been reported. Lactate dehydrogensae (LDH) activity and peroxidative damage has been significantly decreased at 4% and 6% doses. In skin papillomagenesis model, 4% and 6% dose in diet significantly reduced the tumor incidence (up to 25%), tumor multiplicity (up to 59%) and tumor volume per mouse (up to 70%) as compared to DMBA treated group. Importantly, significant reduction in tumor incidence (up to 33%) and tumor multiplicity (up to 61%) was evident for forestomach papillomagenesis model

Effects of vanadate, insulin and fenugreek <i>(Trigonella foenum graecum) </i>on creatine kinase levels in tissues of diabetic rat

200-202The in vivo effects of insulin, and other insulino mimetic agents like vanadate and fenugreek (T. foenum graecum) were followed on the changes in the activit ies of creatine kinase in heart, skeletal muscle and liver of experimental diabetic rats. As compared to control rats, creatine kinase activities were found to decrease significantly in the tissues during experimental diabetes. All the antidi abetic compounds used namely, insulin, vanadate and Fenugreek seed powder normalised the decreased activities to almost control values. The effects of insulin and vanadate were comparable in restoring normoglycemia and the creatine kinase activities

Robust Cationic Quaternary Ammonium Surfactant-Catalyzed Condensation Reaction for (<i>E</i>)‑3-Aryl-1-(3-alkyl-2-pyrazinyl)-2-propenone Synthesis in Water at Room Temperature

An efficient, convenient, and environmentally benign method for synthesis of novel (<i>E</i>)-3-aryl-1-(3-alkyl-2-pyrazinyl)-2-propenone in aqueous micellar medium at room temperature has been developed. Initially, the reaction between 2-acetyl-3-methylpyrazine (<b>1a</b>; 1 mmol) and 4-bromobenzaldehyde (<b>2c</b>; 1 mmol) was separately conducted with 10 mol % cationic quaternary ammonium surfactants (CQAS), namely, methyltrioctylammonium chloride (MTOAC), methyltrioctylammonium bromide (MTOAB), cetylpyridinium chloride (CPC), cetylpyridinium bromide (CPB), dodecyltrimethylammonium bromide (DTAB), and hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB). An 89.0% maximum yield was noted with DTAB due to higher a catalyzing effect on the reaction. The other surfactants used for the same reaction have produced only 50–86% yield. DTAB was found to be a most efficient catalyst because of the higher yield in the reaction. Therefore, applying DTAB, the various reaction conditions such as effect of concentration (2.5–20 mol %), temperature (rt-reflux), and reusability of aqueous micellar medium were investigated. Thus, the 15 mol % DTAB used for synthesis of a series (<b>3a</b>–<b>3l</b>) of compounds at room temperature produced a 78–94% yield. The method using DTAB allows for the preparation of a variety of aryl propenones with better yield and purities, making any further purification unnecessary. DTAB is also considered environmentally benign and may lead to developing a new option of synthesis in green chemistry. The structures were confirmed by FTIR, ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR, LCMS (Q-TOF), and elemental analysis