Importance of Iron Absorption in Human Health: An Overview

Iron is one of the essential elements required for human health, as it plays a vital role in a number of metabolic, growth, and developmental processes, including erythropoiesis, DNA synthesis, electron transport, and others. Iron deficiency is a concern in both developing and developed (industrialized) countries, and, in particular, young women are highly vulnerable. This review investigates the dietary and genetic determinants of iron metabolism in the human body and a possible solution to combat iron deficiency by exploring various targets. Hence, this review mainly focuses on the assessment of dietary and genetic factors affecting the iron bioavailability and homeostasis and collates the available information from 2000 to till date from the Pubmed database. The dietary factors, including ascorbic acid, an important factor in animal protein foods (meat, fish, and poultry), enhance iron absorption whereas the phytic acid, soy protein, calcium, and polyphenols have been reported to inhibit iron absorption. However, the effects of these dietary factors on iron absorption do not necessarily translate into an association with iron status and iron stores (serum ferritin concentration). Moreover, the genetic factors influence the absorption of iron involving HFE, TFR2, FPN1, and HAMP in humans. Further research is needed to determine optimal dietary recommendations for both the prevention and treatment of iron deficiency. </jats:sec

Cocculus hirsutus (L.) W.Theob. (Menispermaceae): A Review on Traditional Uses, Phytochemistry and Pharmacological Activities

Background:Cocculus hirsutus (L.) W.Theob. (Menispermaceae) is a perennial climber distributed mostly in tropical and subtropical areas. The main aim of this article is to collect and analyze the scientific information related to traditional uses, bioactive chemical constituents and pharmacological activities. Methods: Scientific information on C. hirsutus was retrieved from the online bibliographic databases (e.g. MEDLINE/PubMed, SciFinder, Web of Science, Google Scholar and Scopus). Information regarding traditional uses was also acquired from secondary resources including books and proceedings. Results: Different plant parts of C. hirsutus were reported to be used for the treatment of fever, skin diseases, stomach disorders and urinary diseases. Alkaloids such as jasminitine, hirsutine, cohirsitine and their derivatives along with a few flavonoids, triterpene derivatives and volatile compounds were reported from whole plant or different plant parts. Extracts were evaluated for their antimicrobial, antidiabetic, immunomodulatory and hepatoprotective activities among others. Conclusion: Although widely used in traditional medicines, only a few studies have been performed related to chemical constituents. Most of the biological activity evaluations were carried out using in vitro evaluation methods and only a few studies were carried out in animal models. In the future, properly designed in vivo and clinical studies are necessary to evaluate the pharmacological activities of C. hirsutus along with bioassay-guided studies to isolate and identify the active constituents

Chapter 7 Nutraceuticals and inflammation

The chronic state of inflammation is widely associated with number of pathologies including asthma, pneumonia, cardiovascular diseases, metabolic ailment, inflammatory bowel disease, arthritis, neurodegenerative disorders, and cancer. The conventional drug therapies including nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and corticosteroids have certain limitations, mainly related to their adverse effects and high cost. In this regard, there is continued focus on alternative therapies, including plant-derived components to prevent or treat inflammatory conditions. Food bioactive ingredients showed promising health effects with favorable safety profile and relatively low cost. In recent decades, they are being extensively evaluated for their anti-inflammatory effects, and further investigations on these bioactive ingredients will result in the development of effective and safe food supplement-based therapies for chronic inflammation. In this chapter, the immunomodulation and anti-inflammatory properties of dietary fibers, pre- biotics, probiotics, polyunsaturated fatty acids, polyphenols, and spice-derived bioactive components are reviewed