Phytophenolic Nutrients in Citrus: Biochemical and Molecular Evidence

Abstract

Natural products as disease remedies have a history of near 5,000 years (India, China and Greece), and even today, in this advanced technological age, a revival of interest is being witnessed in the use of natural or plant-based therapeutic agents for the treatment of several pathological conditions. Citrus fruits have been utilised as a traditional medicine in India, China, Korea and Japan, and many studies have highlighted the various biological properties of their phytophenolics which are suggested to be responsible for the prevention of degenerative diseases such as diabetes and cancer. With the background of comprehensive studies conducted on Mauritian citrus fruits, this chapter reviews some of the literature data on the phytophenolic contents, vitamin C composition and antioxidant functions of citrus extracts and emphasises on their potential applications in nutrition management programmes for diabetes and cancer chemoprevention.

Phytochemistry and biological activity of Spanish Citrus fruits

“…41 Moreover, some Citrus avonoids, like hesperidin, naringin and polymethoxylated avones, have demonstrated potential benets in the management of diabetes in some animal models by different biochemical mechanisms. 4 The IC 50 values and total vitamin C (AA + DHAA) were strongly correlated (R 2 ¼ 0.879***, P < 0.001), but no Pearson correlations between any avonoid groups and anti-a-glucosidase activity were found in our results. The a-glucosidase inhibitory activities were consistent with the statement that different phytochemical proles and the interactions between compounds in the fruit matrix can also be involved in various activities displayed by them.…”

“…The inhibition of pancreatic lipase in the case of obesity, and of a-glucosidase in the case of diabetes, is the current therapeutic approach for the treatment of both diseases, since these enzymes play an essential role in lipid and glucose metabolisms. 1,2 In this sense, some Citrus fruits represent a good source of bioactive compounds with certain antidiabetic and lipolytic effects, 3,4 which are being studied nowadays with increasing interest.…”

Terminalia bentzoë, a Mascarene Endemic Plant, Inhibits Human Hepatocellular Carcinoma Cells Growth In Vitro via G0/G1 Phase Cell Cycle Arrest

“…The biosynthesis of flavonoids, in particular flavonols, is known to be upregulated in response to ultra-violet radiation [ 32 ]. The accumulation of flavonoids in the endemic plant leaves collected from Mauritius may be attributed to the high sunlight conditions and UV radiation, which are characteristic to tropical islands like the Mascarene [ 33 ].…”

<strong>Focus on Mascarenes Endemic Plants with Specific Phytochemical Composition, Potent Antioxidant and Antiproliferative Properties</strong>

“…The biosynthesis of flavonoids, in particular flavonols, are known to be upregulated in response to ultra-violet radiation [27]. The accumulation of flavonoids in the endemic plant leaves collected from Mauritius may be attributed to the high sunlight conditions and UV radiation which are characteristic to tropical islands like the Mascarene [28]. Given the ubiquitous involvement of oxidative damage in carcinogenesis, antioxidant-rich secondary metabolites, notably, polyphenolics have attracted much interest in the search of novel and alternative treatment modalities for cancer [29,30].…”