Bioactive Compounds in Brassicaceae Vegetables with a Role in the Prevention of Chronic Diseases

Abstract

The beneficial role of the Mediterranean diet in the prevention of chronic diseases, including cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and obesity, is well-recognized. In this context, Brassicaceae are considered important vegetables due to several evidences of their health promoting effects that are associated to bioactive compounds present in the edible parts of the plants. In this review, the mechanisms of action and the factors regulating the levels of the bioactive compounds in Brassicaceae have been discussed. In addition, the impact of industrial and domestic processing on the amount of these compounds have been considered, in order to identify the best conditions that are able to preserve the functional properties of the Brassicaceae products before consumption. Finally, the main strategies used to increase the content of health-promoting metabolites in Brassica plants through biofortification have been analyzed.

Effect of Broccoli (Brassica oleracea L. var. italica) Extract on Bleeding Time in Male White Mice (Mus musculus L.)

“…Phytochemical screening results of broccoli extract indicate that positive broccoli plants contain alkaloids, saponins, tannins, and flavonoids. These results are in line with several previous studies which showed the existence of the compound class (Chauhan et al, 2016;Hussain et al, 2019;Mageney et al, 2017;Raiola et al, 2017). The complete phytochemical screening results are presented in Table I.…”

Side Streams of Broccoli Leaves: A Climate Smart and Healthy Food Ingredient

“…In connection to this, the gut microbiota has been shown to be altered by consumption of dietary fiber rich cruciferous vegetable, such as broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage, which could ultimately influence gut metabolism of bioactive food components and host exposure to these beneficial compounds [73]. Phenolic compounds in themselves have been shown to be beneficial for health, e.g., by increasing weight loss in obese mice and humans [74], and also to lower the mortality of some chronic diseases, mainly cardiovascular diseases and cancer [75].…”

Diet, Lifestyle and Cardiovascular Diseases: Linking Pathophysiology to Cardioprotective Effects of Natural Bioactive Compounds

“…[72]. Among the phytochemicals studied, a special attention has been paid on phenolic compounds from a variety of sources [73,74], such as tea [75,76], grapes [77], ginseng [78], red to purple colour fruits [79][80][81], cruciferous vegetables [82,83], etc. Several bioactive compounds found in oils, such as tocopherols and tocotrienols, phenolic acids, flavonoids, and sterols have anti-obesity effects [84].…”