Phytic Acid: From Antinutritional to Multiple Protection Factor of Organic Systems

Abstract

Several studies have shown the benefits of natural antioxidants on health and food preservation. Phytic acid (IP6) is a natural antioxidant that is found mainly in cereals and vegetables and, for a long period of time, was considered an antinutritional factor. However, in vitro and in vivo studies have demonstrated its beneficial effects in the prevention and treatment of several pathological conditions and cancer. Despite the numerous benefits of IP6, the signs and intracellular interactions mediated by this antioxidant remain poorly understood. This review describes the main chemical and biological aspects of IP6, as well as its actions in the prevention and treatment of various diseases.

Chemopreventive Effect of the Germinated Oat and Its Phenolic-AVA Extract in Azoxymethane/Dextran Sulfate Sodium (AOM/DSS) Model of Colon Carcinogenesis in Mice

“…Oats also contain other compounds such as phytic acid (5.6-8.7 mg/g; 0.56-0.87%) [9], which has its content decreased by 15%-35% during even a short three-day germination due to activation of phytase activity [50]. Although high doses of phytic acid inhibit the absorption of metals and minerals in humans, it has been observed that, in small doses, it can function as a protective factor in several chronic degenerative diseases [51]; therefore, current research only seeks to reduce the content of this antinutritional compound in various cereals.…”

Targeting the Inositol Pyrophosphate Biosynthetic Enzymes in Metabolic Diseases

“…Thus, the observed phenotypes in IP6K-disrupted mice may arise from a decrease in 5-IP7 or an increase in IP6 or both. In cells, IP6 or 5-IP7 modulates various protein targets to regulate glycolysis, vesicular trafficking, chromatin remodeling, DNA damage, cell migration and neutrophil function, which may directly or indirectly alter energy metabolism in vivo [12,25,28,[94][95][96]. Moreover, IP6K1 regulates various targets by protein-protein interactions that do not require its catalytic activity [12,97,98].…”

“…Besides the already established PIP2 or IP3 [8,12,14,18,20,[23][24][25][26][27], glucose-6-phosphate and sphingolipids can also be precursors of Int-IP6 [23]. Int-IP6 regulates many cellular functions including stress responses, development, phosphate homeostasis, DNA repair, RNA editing, mRNA export and post-translational modification [94,95,189]. It also promotes insulin secretion from β cells, although to a lesser extent than 5-IP7 [81,190].…”

“…The concentration of IP6 is much higher in plant sources, especially cereals, legumes, nuts and high-fiber diets, than in animal products [94,[191][192][193]. Dietary IP6 may impact health in both positive and negative ways, the details of which are discussed elsewhere [94,192,193]. IP6's negative impact is due to its cation (particularly iron and zinc)-chelating action, which hinders cation-absorption in the gastrointestinal tract [194,195].…”

Comparative Evaluation of Phosphorus Accumulation and Partitioning in Seeds of Common Bean (Phaseolus Vulgaris L.)

“…The complex of phytic acid and some microelements in the form of phytate is negatively associated with mineral bioavailability, leading to a reduction in assimilation of bivalent cations (Frossard et al, 2000;Petry et al, 2014;Bohn et al, 2008). At the same time, phytates have antioxidant properties, and have a role in the reduction of risk of cancer and other pathologies (Vucenik and Shamsuddin, 2006;Silva and Bracarense, 2016). One of the goals of bean breeders has been to reduce phytate accumulation increasing the proportion of inorganic phosphorus.…”